


Blossoms in Spring

by Memsev



Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Anime & Manga), Naruto, Ranma 1/2, Rurouni Kenshin
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, It's so awfull I have to share it, M/M, Old Fic, weeaboo trash late teens me wrote this, wrote this in 2005
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:13:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 47,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25719373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Memsev/pseuds/Memsev
Summary: Sailor Moon, if Usagi remembered just enough to start a whole boatload of misunderstandings when she meets Luna. Also, I wrote this in 2005 (or 2007, I don't remember) and threw as much world-weaving at this as I could, while also being teenage weeaboo trash.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 26





	1. Chapter 1

Early mornings were Usagi's least favourite time of day. There was no way she would ever savour the early morning sun lighting the far edges of her window nor the quiet that enveloped the Tsukino home in the pre-dawn hours. It wasn't in her nature, she'd rather never experience that particular time of day if she had any choice at all.

That is to say, she would rather not have woken as early as she did. It took her a moment to even realise that she was awake at all. The white of her bedroom ceiling wasn't that different from the sleepy white haze that had been her dream. It was the dryness of her eyes that brought that particular realisation as it forced her to blink. 

Usagi groaned and rolled over to rub her face against her rabbit-print pillow, trying to soothe her itchy eyes, and herself, back to sleep. 

It didn't work. She rolled onto a long strand of hair which just woke her more. 

'If I just lay here for a while, I'll fall back asleep,' she thought to herself as she rolled off her hair. She rolled over again, wincing as she tried to readjust her head. She was lying on more of her long hair, one of the downsides of keeping it at ankle length. 

Usagi sighed in defeat and rolled out of bed, before gathering the necessities for her morning ablutions. If she was awake now, it had to be time for breakfast, and if she hurried she might even get to eat with her family. 

After her usual hurried morning shower, Usagi packed her school bag and hurried down to the kitchen in hopes of a quick breakfast, almost tripping down the stairs in her haste.

"Mom, I'm late!" Usagi called out as she rounded the corner and entered the kitchen. Usagi stopped short. The kitchen was quiet and empty. 

"Mom?" Usagi looked around the kitchen in surprise, just then noticing that the early morning light was the only thing illuminating the room. She glanced at the wall clock to check just how late she was and all but fainted in surprise. 

Usagi stared at the clock-face for several minutes, her brain refusing to accept what her eyes were telling her.

It was only five in the morning.

It took several moments for her to get over the shock. She had never, ever, woken up before six o'clock in her entire life, of that she was sure. She got her breathing started again, only noticing that she had been holding her breath in shock after she had started feeling faint. 

A few steps later found her sitting at her place at the kitchen table, school bag set by the door and wondering what to do now. She wasn't tired at all, so her preferred option of going back to bed was out. Her usual morning panic had pretty much flushed her system with adrenalin, waking her up better than almost anything else could.

A loud growl startled her out of her thoughts. Usagi was only a little embarrassed to realise that it had been her stomach that had made the sound. She did usually feel quite hungry in the mornings, but she never had any time to eat, so Usagi had gotten used to ignoring the feeling.

She had time to eat breakfast this morning, she realised, a bright smile growing on her face. 

A glance at the clock told her that her mother wouldn't be up to make the family breakfast for at least another hour. That smile was stubborn, even in the face of this minor setback. 

Usagi didn't particularly feel like a bowl of cereal, now that she had the time to eat. She was too hungry for that. Maybe she could persuade her mother to make a larger breakfast though Ikuko hardly ever cooked anything complicated in the morning.

It occurred to her that she would have to make her food if she wanted to eat anytime soon. Usagi pouted to herself, not confident in her dream of breakfast now that it depended on her abilities. 

A glance around the kitchen found her eyes locking on her mother's stack of cookbooks.

Usagi had never claimed to have particularly good impulse control, and she wasn't going to start now. Usagi wasn't even sure what impulse control was, though she had heard her father grumble about Usagi's lack of it. As a natural extension of this fact, Usagi often acted without much thought. 

She had only just laid eyes on the book before she was standing at the counter and paging through it, looking for anything that looked appetising.

She settled on making steamed rice and miso soup, as Usagi was pretty sure it was something she could manage. She even had a vague memory of making the same dish in home economics once.

An excited smile spread across her face. Usagi may not be the best cook in her class, but she loved food, and it would be a nice surprise for her mother.

It was a shocked Tsukino Ikuko that stood in the door half an hour later. A more or less spotless kitchen greeted her eyes, and somewhat messy daughter setting the table for four. 

"Morning, Mom." The quiet greeting brought Ikuko out of her daze to see her daughter looking at her with an almost concerned look on her young face. 

"Good Morning, Usagi. I- I see you've been busy this morning." 

Usagi grinned and gestured for her mother to join her at the table.


	2. Chapter 2

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Usagi sat at her desk reading her favourite Manga. It wasn't all that fun being at school early when there was nothing else to do but your homework or read. None of her friends had arrived yet, and her mother had warned her off of eating her lunch early, which wasn't fair at all, but Usagi had long since discovered the futility of arguing with her mother over it.

Usagi was rather engaged in her reading. It had been quiet in the classroom when she had started, and Usagi had quickly been so entangled in the complicated plot of the manga that she hadn't noticed at all when people started showing up. She did so love to try to predict what was going to happen next and who was going to end up with whom.

"Usagi?"

The voice right next to her face set her heart racing in a strong startle reflex. Years of stealth-reading had her hide the manga under the table by sheer reflex. It was a moment before she realised that it was her friend Umino that had spoken. The brunet boy sat down at the desk right beside hers and started to unpack his things, just as he had every day since they joined the same class.

"Hm? Oh, Good morning, Umino. You're here early." She said with a bright smile at the shy boy. He had been a friend since they were small. They had been to preschool together and he had always helped her when she had trouble in the earlier grades.

Usagi felt a twinge of guilt. She hadn't hung out with Umino since her other friend, Naru, had joined their class. She had transferred in last year and Usagi had bonded with her pretty quick. 

She hadn't spent much time with her gossipy male friend as of late. He returned the smile with a blush that morphed into a look of curiosity. There was a reason that he was known as the greatest gossip in the school, and for a moment, Usagi thought that he would start spilling the beans on some new student to fill the somewhat uncomfortable silence.

"Why are you here so early, Usagi?" he asked, fidgeting with his glasses and starting to get his math books out. He seemed awkward with her presence and that provoked another twinge in Usagi.

"I woke up early, that's all." She said with a shrug, feeling like a worm when he seemed to light up.  
"Oh, good for you, Usagi! You've been so tired lately. I was getting worried. So, have you done your math homework?" he asked her, glad to be in her company.

'You'd think he knew me better than that.' Usagi thought to herself as she blushed and looked down at her table, avoiding Umino's well-meaning eyes. 'But then, he did last year. It's me that's been avoiding him, me that has been changing.' She reluctantly put her manga back into her bag and brought out her brightly coloured math notebook. 

"Some of it, but it is probably all wrong anyway..." she murmured, feeling a hot blush rise up her cheeks. 'Why do I feel like this? I didn't use to feel like this when I didn't do my work. Why am I ashamed? I've never been good at math, so why would I do this anyway?'

"Do...Do you want me to look it over with you Usagi? I could even h-help you with the rest?" He asked her fiddling with his glasses, a relatively new acquisition, and glancing away. He had always helped her before, but that was a long time ago, or, at least, it felt like a long time.

Usagi smiled at him, thanking the gods for sending her such a thoughtful and forgiving friend. Maybe this friendship could be healed after all.

"Thank you, Umino! I would love your help!" He smiled in return at the familiar phrase, then snatched her homework from her desk, bending over it in concentration.

"Most of this is right, Usagi, you just need to..." A relieved smile broke through her insecurity. He seemed to forgive or at least ignore, her treatment of him.

By the time Miss Haruna entered the classroom, Umino and Usagi had completed her homework and had looked it through an extra time to make sure Usagi understood it though Usagi still felt left behind when class started. All-in-all Umino wasn't a bad teacher. 

It was a pleased Miss Haruna that received Usagi's homework that day. She even took her aside after class to tell her how pleased she was that Usagi had made it to school on time that day, and been well prepared. Usagi had felt another flash of shame at the praise. She hadn't been well prepared, and her homework would have been incomplete if it wasn't for Umino.

'How far have I let myself fall that people actually don't expect any improvements?'


	3. Chapter 3

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"Are you sick Usagi? I heard you were on time for math today and had done your homework too."

It surprised Usagi how much it hurt to hear Naru tease her like that. The other girls at school often teased her about her laziness, but it still hurt when it came from her friends. Usagi smiled at Naru, unsure of how she should react to the greeting.

"So, has that nerd you used to hang out with infected you or are you just feeling particularly guilty about your grades this week?"

Usagi looked at Naru for a moment, her face blank, letting the meaning of the words seep in. She didn't understand why she felt such a flush of anger. Umino was something of a nerd though Usagi had never seen that as a bad thing. Naru had never seemed like the kind of person who made fun of people for being nerdy. That was one of the reasons that Usagi liked her. That she would attack her like this, over something so ridiculous!

"How can you be so mean, Naru? At least, Umino helps me understand my homework. He's been my friend since we were little kids. He's smart, and sweet, and really kind!"

Usagi did not let loose the cry that was building in her throat, even though she felt it justified. She had thought that Naru knew better than that. Despite her best efforts, a few tears escaped her, which seemed to surprise Naru. The redhead looked rather bewildered, gently placing a hand on Usagi's arm.

"I'm sorry, Usagi. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings or anything. I don't understand, you're so serious today..."

Usagi sighed and wiped her eyes discreetly on her sleeve. Crying wouldn't help anything at all, and what Naru had said wasn't that far off the mark. Usagi had just been feeling a bit sensitive. 

'Stop being such a crybaby! It's not like Naru means it like that, she just doesn't know me that well yet. I should just explain or something...'

"I'm just tired, Naru. I woke up really early and had weird dreams, and anyway who says I can't get better at school?"

Naru looked a bit suspicious, but once Usagi started to dig into her lunch, the redhead nodded and changed the subject with a smile. 

"Well, did you hear that our English test is being taken by our entire grade-level?"

"What? Why?" Usagi asked between stuffing a sausage in her mouth and taking a sip of her water bottle. 

"Well, they've decided to make it a mock exam instead..."

Usagi could feel the horror fill her at this news, making her lunch difficult to swallow.  
'Oh no! Mom will be so disappointed in me if I fail another mock exam! She'll lock me out for sure...'  
Her friend continued to talk on obliviously. 

"Well, we both know who will take the top score; Mizuno is the best student at the entire school. Wouldn't it be cool..."

Nothing Naru said penetrated the thick fog of despair that had descended on Usagi. 'I'm going to fail, again, and Shingo will make fun of me, and daddy will shake his head, and mom will be so disappointed, and' 

"Usagi?"  
Naru's concerned voice snapped through to Usagi at last, while the blond was on the verge of hyperventilating. Blue eyes snapped up to meet brown.

"I'm going to fail, Naru! I'm going to fail, again, and mom and dad will be so disappointed in me!"

Naru was surprised to hear her friend worry over a test score. Something was different about Usagi today. 

"Don't worry so much, Usagi. It's only a mock exam... Eat your lunch, it'll make you feel better." 

Usagi lowered her head to the table for a moment, breathing deeply through her nose, trying to control the panic that was coursing through her. 'This isn't me at all! I don't panic over stupid exams, not when I have food to eat and good company... Calm down, Usagi!' A deep breath later and she was smiling at Naru.

"You're right, absolutely right!"

Usagi thought about it for a while as she ate. She wondered why the test mattered so much, enough that a pit of nausea seemed to have formed in her belly.

"Hey, Usagi, have you studied for our mock exam?" Umino asked as he popped out from behind a corner near their table. Usagi, who had been in the middle of stuffing a rice cake in her mouth, choked on it in surprise. Naru, who had been taking a sip of her water bottle, spat in Umino's face.

"Umino, don't do that!" the girls chorused. 

"Well, I-I was wondering if you wanted to st-study with me for the exam? I haven't studied y-yet, but we have an hour n-now so..." Umino asked while drying his face with a convenient towel. Usagi wondered where it had come from, then dismissed it as silly. She gave Umino one of her best smiles in thanks.

"Yes, thank you." She answered, polishing off her lunch at an alarming rate and grabbing her bag. A red flush stole across Umino's face. 

"Um, well, we c-could sit at one of the cafeteria tables, Miss Haruna still won't let me use the classrooms..." Usagi nodded and followed her oldest friend, throwing an invitation to join them over her shoulder. Naru seemed stunned for a moment before scrambling to get her things together and joining the duo.


	4. Chapter 4

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Usagi sighed as she walked home. She was sure she had failed the mock exam, even with all Umino's help. She stopped a moment outside the crown arcade, debating if a round of Sailor V would cheer her up, or maybe hanging out with Motoki would help.

A well of shame stopped her from entering. Motoki wouldn’t be sympathetic to her plight. He'd tell her that she needed to study more often, that she needed to grow up a bit. She was so lost in her thoughts, sad as they were, to notice that a man reading the paper as he walked was about to bump into her.

"Oh, I apologise, Miss! I wasn't watching where I was going, it was clumsy of me." The man, who had dark hair and was wearing dark glasses, reached out to steady himself. Usagi realised, he wasn't that much older than her. A boy rather than a man. 

He seemed to hesitate when he noticed the tears in her eyes.

"Are you okay? Surely I didn't bump into you that hard, Miss?" Usagi looked at the kind eyes of the stranger, feeling that he was familiar somehow. She blushed and whipped the tears from her eyes.

"No. I-I just failed a mock exam, a-and I am afraid that my mother is going to be disappointed with me. You didn't bump into me hard."  
His face, that had looked concerned, softened slightly as he smiled at her. 

"I'm sure it isn't that bad. You did the study for it, right? What subject was it in?" Usagi smiled a bit through her tears, feeling somewhat embarrassed to be talking about her schoolwork with a complete stranger.

"English. A friend of mine helped me study, but I'm hopeless at it. I'm sorry, but I have to get home." The dark-haired boy resolutely led her into the arcade by the arm he still held on to.

"I'm sure you could use an ice-cream or a milkshake to cheer you up. Your mother will probably understand, as long as you studied for it." Usagi was starting to feel a bit odd; the feeling of familiarity the boy was giving off putting her off-kilter. It was disorienting and left her unable to deal with the fact that a stranger was tugging her along. 

It barely dissipated at all when the young man led her to a table and sat down, gesturing her to the chair opposite her. She sat without a thought. Her silence seemed to embarrass the boy. A flush flew across his cheeks and he cleared his throat.

"I-I'm sure it went okay if you studied for it. Surely your boyfriend helped you study?"

Usagi was shocked out of her depressing thoughts. The thought of dating Umino made her shudder in revulsion though she did feel a bit guilty about it afterwards. He wasn't a bad guy, after all, but he was not someone Usagi could see in any way but as a friend.

"No! No, Umino is just my friend. I've known him since we were little kids; it'd be really weird to date him."

"O-Oh."

An awkward silence fell over their table. Usagi fiddled with the menu, trying not to stare at her companion. He started to twitch as they waited for a waiter to arrive.

"So, you two know each other? Small world."

Usagi startled enough that she ripped the corner off the paper menu in her hand. She looked up, and then blushed when she realised that it was Motoki taking their order. The current object of her teenage infatuation stood beside her, smiling in what Usagi considered a rather rakish way.

"Hey, Motoki. No, we don't know each other. We bumped into each other outside, and he offered me a milkshake."

There was something off with that last sentence, something that just seemed wrong to Usagi, but she couldn't for the life of her grasp what it was. Motoki agreed, given the odd look, he was sending her. He seemed on the verge of saying something when her companion cut him off. 

"Motoki, you never told me you have a younger sister?"

"Oh, Usagi isn't my sister. She's just blessed with my rugged good looks, right Usagi?"

Usagi smiled a bit at the older boy, who was currently combing a hand through his blond locks and attempting to look vain. 'Motoki is such a charmer...'

"Yes, Motoki. But you know...?"

She tried to remember the boy's name, only now realising that she hadn't been introduced to him. The dark-haired boy supplied his name with a smile and an outstretched hand.

"Chiba Mamoru, and you are?"

Usagi blushed in acute embarrassment and shook the offered hand. Her mother would have boxed her ears at her manners.

"Tsukino Usagi. So you two know each other?"

Motoki smiled and leaned on their table casually. This gave Usagi a rather nice view of his pretty blue eyes.

"Yes, we're in the same grade. So if you just met, why did you come in here together? I'm pretty sure you don't normally pick up strange girls from the streets, Mamoru, no matter how pretty they are."

Usagi blushed hotly, ignoring the rather annoyed glare Mamoru was targeting Motoki with.

"Well, we bumped into each other, literally, outside, and I saw that Miss Tsukino seemed upset..."

"And you had no idea how to handle a sad girl, Mamoru?"

Mamoru blushed and was thankful that Motoki now turned his attention to Usagi.

"Why were you sad?"

Usagi's fragile good mood evaporated like morning dew, and the tears from earlier returned with a vengeance. Motoki was visibly torn between feeling bad for making Usagi sad, and feeling amused at the frustrated glare he was receiving from Mamoru.

"I-I had a mock exam today, and I'm sure I failed it! I tried really hard, and Umino even helped me study for it, but it's hopeless!"

"Oh, Usagi, I'm sure it went fine. I'll get you your usual; it'll make you feel better. On me, okay?"

Usagi smiled gratefully at the blond high school student, her heart feeling much lighter for his comforting words.

"Thank you for your faith in me, Motoki."


	5. Chapter 5

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Usagi was depressed when she got home, despite Motoki and Mamoru's best attempts to cheer her up. She couldn't shake the image of her parents' disappointed stares that her mind had cooked up. It took her several long minutes of gathering her nerve to even make her way past the front door, where she knew her mother was waiting for her.

Rightly enough, Ikuko greeted her daughter at the door with a welcoming smile. It was almost enough to bring Usagi to tears. Ikuko noticed her daughter's distress, her smile turning to concern.

"What's wrong, Usagi? Did something happen at school? Haruna called and told me you were doing so well today."

Usagi considered just going to her room without answering, but a look at her mom pushed the thought from her mind. To her horror, she felt her lower lip start to quiver and a large lump form in her throat.

"I had a mock exam in English today, and I'm sure I failed it!"  
This time, Usagi didn't hold back her tears. Sometimes she just couldn't understand why she was the way she was. She meant to work hard, she did.

"I-I'm sorry, Mom, I didn't want to let you down."

The blond took comfort in the warm hug her mother enclosed her in, as she sniffled and tried to keep from sobbing outright. She did not want her father or brother to see her making such a scene. Shingo would never let her live it down.

"Oh, Usagi, if you would only study some more, this wouldn't happen."

Usagi felt her mother's well-meaning words stab at her, hitting the guilt and shame she felt over her failings. She knew she should study, she knew it was her own fault, but gods! Even her mother thought she was lazy and stupid.

"I did study for it, Mom! Umino helped me..."

Usagi's voice was quiet and tearful, muffled by her mother's shoulder, much to her mother's worry. It was shame speaking and hurt at her mother's words and long-suffering attitude.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Usagi. Tell, you what, if you get over 75 per cent, I'll buy you a present, okay?"

Part of her didn't know how to respond to the encouragement that Ikuko offered. She had just been working up a good sulk, yet Usagi was grateful that her mother cared for her so much. She was certain she would just disappoint her again, yet the love evident in the statement warmed her heart almost against her will. Usagi gave a choked little laugh at the thought.

"Yeah, like that'll ever happen."

Usagi wiped her nose on her sleeve, upset at herself for falling apart like this. She had been working so hard to be more mature but at the first sign of trouble, she had crumbled. Usagi squeezed her mom once more in thanks, before releasing the hug and hurrying up to her room, trying not to cry. Ikuko watched her eldest child run up the stair in tears, wondering when her daughter had started growing up.

"Was that Usagi, dear? Why was she crying?"

Ikuko turned to look at her husband, a rather lost expression on her face. She glanced back towards the stairs, wiping her hands on her apron.

"Yes, Kenji. She is worried that she failed a mock exam in English today, but this seemed like something more."

Kenji held his wife's gaze, sharing her worry. They had noticed some strange behaviour in their daughter during the last year but had thought it was teenage angst rather than something serious.

"That doesn't sound like Usagi at all..."


	6. Chapter 6

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Usagi sat on her bed gazing at space halfway between the wall and herself. She had cried a bit more once she had reached her room, but the tears had dried. Her dear brother had paid her a brief visit, teasing her about her weepy reactions to everything. She was left with a tired empty feeling. It was her own darn fault, and she knew she needed to get her act together.

'It isn't fair. Mom and Dad will be so upset with me...They'll never be proud of me, not like they are of that little shit Shingo.' 

She almost let the despair swallow her, images of the long years ahead flashing on the back of her eyelids, filled with disappointment after disappointment. The way things were going she wasn't going to get into a good university, and without that, she wasn't going to get a good job. She was likely to end up with a dead-end secretarial job, married to some poor salary-man.

A part of her almost wanted to let that happen. No one would be disappointed in her anymore because no one would expect anything more from her. She would fade into the monotone background; have some children, who would look to her example...

A determined look settled on her features. She couldn't do that. Usagi was first a being of familial love. She couldn't doom her children to following her example into life without adventure. She had dreams to fulfil.

"Well, I'll just have to study more. I won't be a disgrace anymore!"

The blond startled at the loud sound of her fist slamming down to meet her night-table. The pain of her fist spurred her determination. She threw herself at the mound of homework stacked on her desk.

Several hours later, Usagi admitted to herself that she needed to pay more attention in school. Her homework was finished, but it had taken a gargantuan effort. She sighed and let herself fall back on her bed. This was going to be so much harder than she expected.

"Usagi, dinner is ready!"

She immediately perked up and sped down to the kitchen, feeling her stomach grumble and beg for food. Homework was demanding enough that she was going to need an extra serving of her mother's delicious cooking. Usagi sat down and started piling food on her plate, not quite waiting for the rest of her family to be seated, ignoring the amused look her father was sending her as he sat down beside her.

She stopped with a scoop of sauce halfway to her plate.  
A flash of thought, almost a memory, played across the back of her eyelids.

"A princess eats with more dignity than that, Serenity," Her mother spoke in a fond voice. "And has better manners."

A flash of a face so like hers, except older and haloed in silver. 

A long white gown, a banquette?

"Idiot! What are you doing, Usagi?"

Usagi started back to herself, noticing that she had started to spill the sauce onto her brother's hand. She could feel her face flushing in embarrassment. Her family was never going to see her as anything but a ditz at this rate. "I'm sorry, Shingo. I-I was thinking."

Her little brother shot her a look of abject disbelief, thinking that she was getting back at him for his earlier teasing. "You never think, Usagi-Idiot!"

Usagi blinked in astonishment at her brother's attitude before turning to her mother with wide eyes full of false hurt. "Mom, Shingo is being cruel to me."


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning came early for Usagi. She didn't feel particularly awake, but her body told her quite loudly that sleep was long gone, no matter how tired her mind was. She got ready for the day, her sleepy mind overlaying a sense of unreality to the world around her.

The sense of unreality was visible if the worried look her mother was sending her was anything to judge by. Ikuko, who had also gotten up early this morning, seemed worried about her daughter.

"Are you all right, Usagi? Did you have a nightmare?"  
Usagi looked up from her cereal and considered the question for a moment.

"I'm fine, Mom. I dreamt something about the bunny on the moon, I think. I'm not sure if that counts as a nightmare."

Ikuko looked at her daughter a bit oddly, before turning to her bleary-eyed husband, who had just stumbled into the room. She smiled at Kenji as the man mumbled a greeting and stumbled on into his usual seat. Usagi wondered if he was feeling the same sense of detachment that she was.

"All right, dear. I've finished your lunch, so you don't have to worry about being late for school again."  
Usagi blinked in surprise, unsure if that much time had passed since she had risen. She shrugged and grabbed the offered lunch.

"Thanks, Mom. Have a good day."

She stood, somewhat more awake now, and ambled over to get her school things before heading out the door. She was just turning a corner when she collided with something hard, lurched and managed to keep to her feet. The manners Ikuko had been trying to pound into her since her early childhood snapped on and she found herself bowing in apology to whomever she had bumped into.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going."

Usagi kept her head down, mentally begging the man, who was wearing the most boring pair of shoes she had ever seen, to excuse her so she could get on her way.

"That's okay, Miss Tsukino. I wasn't watching where I was going either, so I guess I am just as much at fault."

Usagi's eyes flew up to meet the kind blues of Chiba Mamoru. For a moment, her mind stalled, overwhelmed by a mixed sense of familiarity and surprise.

"That's fine. I guess we must both be tired this morning."

They stood and looked at each other awkwardly for a moment. Usagi wondered if she should just excuse herself or something. This was a friend of a friend, though, so she was unsure if that would be impolite. The awkward silence stretched until Usagi couldn't stand it anymore. 

"You can call me Usagi since you are a friend of Motoki."

She could feel a hot blush journey up her neck and wondered if her face was as red as she imagined. She could have sworn she was better at talking to people than this. There was just something familiar about Mamoru. He seemed quite amused by her, though, judging by the warm smile he was sporting

"Thank you, Usagi." Usagi returned the smile, squirming at the attention he was paying her.

"Well, I have to get to school. It was nice bumping into you... I-I mean...Good day, Mr Chiba!"

She ran off silently cursing her luck. Of course, she just had to make a fool of herself in front of one of Motoki's friends. Usagi kept a good pace, her feet following the well-known path.

A block from school a sound brought Usagi to an abrupt stop. She turned slightly, almost tripping in her haste to identify the source.

It sounded like... a child crying?

It seemed like it was coming from a parking lot just a few hundred feet to the right. She ran as fast as her long legs could carry her, turning the corner into the park. A group of kids, younger than Shingo, were huddling around the source of the sound, one of them poking at it with a stick. A muffled 'mew' told her that the group had probably cornered a cat and were 'playing' with it, the thought of which ignited her temper.

"Hey! Leave that cat alone!"

The little kids started then, seeing someone older than themselves, ran off cursing her. Usagi felt a tick in her eye at some of the filthy things the little brats were yelling as they ran off. Shingo would get in so much trouble if he had said even half the things those little monsters were spewing.

The movement brought her attention back to the cat that the children had captured. It was a delicate-looking black cat. The poor dear was upset, scratching desperately at something on its head.

As soon as she was sure the little kids were gone she hurried to the mistreated cat's aid, trying to calm it down. "Aw, your poor cat," She gentled her voice as much as she could, trying to entice the wary feline close to her. "Come here kitty, kitty. I won't hurt you, I promise. Let me see what those little monsters did to you."

Usagi carefully picked the cat up, somewhat nervous that it might catch her with its claws. It calmed and let her rub its cheeks though it flinched when she reached for the Band-Aid on its forehead.

"You know what, pretty kitty? You have such soft fur; I'd better get that Band-Aid of you, huh?" She cooed, peeling the Band-Aid off slowly. Once the Band-Aid was off, the cat seemed to freeze and stare at her. It was unnerving, to say the least. Usagi could practically feel the cat looking into her soul, searching for something. Distantly she thought she could hear something, something important.

'The late bell!'

"I'm so late!"

As it turned out, it was not the late bell, but the first bell Usagi had heard. She had made it to class just in time, panting for breath. She was now waiting for her test results along with everyone else, smiling nervously. Miss Haruna had been happy when she had handed in her homework again. Her teacher had smiled at her in an 'I-have-a-Secret-I-can't-wait-to-tell-you' way.

A flash of Mamoru, no, not Mamoru. 

Endymion. 

"Miss Tsukino, I am proud of you! You got an 80 on your test." Miss Haruna's voice startled her out of her thoughts. It took a few seconds for the words to register, leaving the blond stunned.

"80? No, you must have graded it wrong! I never get that much!" she vaguely noticed her classmates winced at her volume. 

"Don't be ridiculous, Miss Tsukino, I graded it perfectly. You did very well on this test, and I hope you continue to do this well." Miss Haruna seemed quite confused on why Usagi wasn't jumping up and down in joy and quite annoyed that she kept talking back to her. "But, I never get that kind of grades!"

"Miss Tsukino! Stop disrupting the class, or I will make you stand in the hall."

"But..."

"Hall, Miss Tsukino, now." Usagi gathered her things and stepped into the hall feeling somewhat better at the return to routine.

Usagi skipped all the way home, having promised her mother that she would tell her the test scores as soon as she could. "Mom! Mom, I'm home!" Ikuko met her at the door, smiling brightly. "Welcome back, Usagi. How did your mock exam go?" she asked her beaming daughter though by the look on her face she already knew.

"I got 80, mama!" Usagi was so excited that she hugged her mother tightly. "So, can we discuss the gift, or do you want to surprise me?" Ikuko laughed with her daughter. 

"Oh, Usagi, your father will be so proud of you! Just wait until he gets home. I think we'll have your favourite for dinner tonight..."


	8. Chapter 8

Saotome Nodoka smiled to herself as she tidied her writing desk. There was just something peaceful about setting up her inks and writing a letter to someone that she loved. A twinge shot through her heart, as it always did when she caught sight of the tightly tied bundle of letters halfway hidden behind a potted plant.  
Over the ten years since her husband had taken their son on a training trip, she had written them many unsent letters. Genma had told her that they would be on the road almost constantly, but if they stayed anyplace long enough for letters to reach them, then he would contact her with an address. It had happened twice in ten years.  
Nodoka straightened from the slouch her heavy thoughts had put her in and firmed her resolve. She would see her son again; of that she was sure. Her faith in her husband was nearing a breaking point, after which she feared despair might fell her. Still, Genma had been a good husband and friend to her, and he had always kept any promise he made to her. Nodoka shook her head, trying to dispel the dark thoughts from her mind, and picked up her waiting pen, starting a letter on the crisp white paper.  
"My Dearest Sister,"

The wind tugged at the juniper bush that stood flush against the Tsukino house. The sun had set just an hour before, the summer twilight settling into the city for the night. A dark shape made its way from branch to branch until it had a clear view of the main windows.  
The cat watched the inhabitants of the house from her perch. There was a strange energy around the people who lived there, and some part of that aura that surrounded the family was familiar.  
A quick jump to a higher branch and a quick shimmy allowed her a glimpse into one of the higher windows.  
It surprised the cat that she recognised the girl inside. The girl was the one that had rescued her that morning from those monsters. Perhaps that was why she felt so familiar.

Usagi let her hair down, tugging carefully at the pins and elastic bands that kept it in place. In celebration of her test score, she wanted to brush it out thoroughly. She sighed as the heavy curtain of gold fell to the floor, massaging the sore points that her buns usually attached to. She had never gotten it cut except when she was small, and it weighed a ton, even when worn in two tails instead of one.  
She loved her hair. By some fluke of mutation, she had gotten blond hair even though her parents both had dark hair, and it made Usagi feel a bit special, even though Shingo was just as blond. She ran her brush through the silky strands, relishing the feeling. Usagi smiled to herself, remembering her mother doing this for her when she was younger. She hummed tunelessly as those happy images flashed through her mind, her mind wandering without much focus at all. Usagi stiffened, eyes losing focus as an unfamiliar scene unfolded in her mind.  
A woman with a long green ponytail was packing a bag. A redhead stood by the door, a grim expression twisting her delicate features.  
"Jupiter, don't! You know that Nephrite is gone! That thing is controlled by Beryl!"  
"I can't just watch, Mars! I have to do something, or by Juno, I'll never forgive myself!"  
The accompanying emotions chilled Usagi to the bone. There was such hopelessness and fear associated with the thought. A flash of a faceless silver princess impaled on a crystalline sword and a feeling of despair, of never-ending loss.  
"Serenity! Don't do it! Please!"  
"Princess!"  
"No!"  
"SERENITY!"  
"Serenity?" Usagi muttered to herself, tasting the name. There was an odd note of shame attached to it, something to do with that last image she thought.  
The Silver Queen, reaching out to a small silver child.  
"Come on, Serenity, my little moon bunny. You can do it, walk to mommy..."  
The Silver Princess ageing; becomes a teen, then a young woman in full bloom.  
The Silver Queen bowed over the Princess in grief, blood staining her long white dress.  
"What?" The sound of her voice startled her. The brush was still midway through a stroke, frozen. She was looking at her reflection, a thousand miles away, and a faint golden glow on her forehead.  
"Serenity...Why did you...?" The words escaped her mouth, while tears threatened to flood her eyes. A stunned black cat sat outside her window.  
It took Usagi much longer to finish her homework that night. Flashes of another life disrupter her thoughts and a rising feeling of nostalgia swept through her. She finished her math-homework with a sigh.  
'Why do I feel like this? I don't know those people; I've never met a Serenity, or Mars, or Jupiter, yet they disturb me ...was that me, that girl in the white dress, Serenity? A past life, maybe.' Usagi snorted to herself at the fanciful thought.  
'That's insane; she was nothing like me. She was elegant and graceful and smart and beautiful...nothing like me.'   
She sighed again, getting up and staring at the full moon through her window, not noticing the little black cat staring at her. A frown creased her forehead as she thought back to that last scene, the ghastly look of heartbreak on the Queen's face sending a chill up her spine.  
'She was a coward too. I wouldn't do such a horrible thing, would I? She gave up, and Tsukinos never give up, so it can't have been me. Dad would never forgive me if I did something that stupidly cruel.'  
The thought of her mother wearing that look made her nauseous. The mood broke and Usagi found herself yawning. She couldn't remember feeling so tired.  
"This is silly..."  
She yawned again and changed into her nightwear, slipping under her covers, forgetting she had agreed to meet Naru at her mother's shop to look at jewellery that afternoon.

A few hours later a loud thump woke Usagi. She turned to see what had happened. A black cat was looking at her. It took a few moments for that to sink in. When it did she jumped away in shock.  
"What? How did you get in here, kitty?" she looked around to try to see how the animal had gotten in. The window was open and it occurred to her that it would have made the thump she had heard earlier. She took a closer look at the cat. It looked like it was the same one that she had helped that morning. She stared at it, feeling like she was waiting for something, her sleepy mind not knowing how to react.  
Much to her shock, the cat spoke. "Hello, Usagi. I am Luna of Mau and I am here to train you to protect the Moon Princess, and to rediscover your former training." Part of Usagi felt that something about that statement was somehow absurd, but a bigger part was still paralysed by the fact that a cat was talking to her.  
"T-the Moon Princess? Serenity?" Usagi was somewhat surprised that she had managed to stammer that out. This was beyond freaky. The cat seemed pleased.  
"Good, you remember something. Now, I do not remember everything that happened at the last battle or before, but I will do my best to train you up again. You were once a great warrior of the moon, bodyguard to the princess; and you will be again, but first, we must find her and combat the evil that is invading the earth."  
Usagi was pretty sure now that this animal had a few facts wrong, but she couldn't seem to grasp, or at least voice which. "You want me to fight?" She knew she sounded reluctant, but not as reluctant as she felt. The cat, Luna, looked at her as if she was a dull child. Usagi was pretty sure that she didn't like Luna all that much. "Yes, Usagi." The cat took a somewhat suffering expression and jumped to do a loop. Usagi must have blinked at the flash because all of a sudden there was a small, quite pretty, brooch laying on her bed.  
She picked it up, suppressing the urge to squeal in delight. "This is so pretty, Luna!" Usagi tried a few different placements on her nightshirt before deciding that it would look best at the centre of the bow on her school uniform. She couldn't resist posing in front of the mirror for a moment.  
Luna seemed somewhat annoyed. "Usagi! That is not just a brooch, it helps you transform." Usagi stopped fooling around to look at the cat. "Transform? Into what?" It seemed like a reasonable question to Usagi, but looking at Luna she swore she could see a vein pulsing in the cat's forehead, which was quite a feat as Luna was covered in thick black fur.  
"Just say Moon Prism Power, Make UP!" Usagi blinked. "But that makes no sense."  
She decided to humour the cat when she saw the vein jump. "Moon Prism Power, Make UP!"  
Usagi, while thrilled with the transformation sequence, was less than pleased with the result. "Luna, this outfit can't be right! It's straight out of a bizarre fan service manga!" The cat ignored the complaint. Usagi was about to continue when a chill ran up her spine. A second later she heard a familiar voice as if through a radio. "Somebody help me! Something is wrong with mom, please help me!"  
"Naru! Luna, Naru is trouble!" "Let's Go, Sailor Moon!" Usagi hesitated a moment before following the cat out of her bedroom window. It didn't matter is this Luna was nuts or not, Naru was in trouble.  
'The Cat? Maybe it's me who has cracked.' She ran, trying to remember the fastest way from her house to Osa-p. 'Well, at least my hallucination is nice and warm' she couldn't help think in a moment of panicked amazement.

She gasped for breath as she skidded to a stop in front of the shop, ignoring the mocking glance the little feline was giving her as she panted. A weak scream from within spurred her to action. She grabbed the handle of the large door, trying to open in. "Luna, it's locked. How do I get it open? I have to get in there, Now!"  
Usagi felt cold terror grip her heart, wrenching and squeezing as she failed to open the door. She barely snatched back her hand in time to avoid the golden beam that melted the lock. She sent a startled glance at the little harmless-looking cat before hurrying inside. The darkness would have been enough to creep her out, but compared to the monster-woman that was currently holding Naru in the air by her neck, the darkness was downright homey. Getting past the initial shock, she noticed that Naru wasn't moving, or even breathing. 'I'm too late!' The terror turned to icy fury.  
"Sailor Moon, throw your," Luna never finished her sentence. Usagi ripped off her tiara, poured all her anger and grief into it, and let it fly at the monster. It seemed shocked as it crumbled to dust. So did Luna, for that sake, but Usagi didn't see that. She was already kneeling by Naru.  
"Naru? Naru?" A huge weight lifted off Usagi's chest when the brunette blinked awake. "Who...?" Usagi frowned in confusion. 'How can she not recognise me?' She sent a questioning glance at the cat only to realise that seeing a cat mouth 'Sailor Moon' was one of the most disturbing things she had ever seen. She turned her eyes back to her childhood friend with a soft smile. "I am Sailor Moon, Naru. Rest now; it will all be brighter in the morning."

Usagi was once again in the kitchen before her mother the next morning. It had been a long night for her, and she was tired, but the ghosts of the past hadn't let her sleep. She yawned as she saw her mother wander into the kitchen and put on her apron.  
"Good Morning, Mother." She smothered a grin as Ikuko jumped a bit in surprise. Once her mother had recognised her she was rewarded with a happy smile from the lavender haired woman.  
"Morning, Usagi. You are up early. I'm glad that you are getting such good habits," the smile faltered a bit, "But, really, Usagi you shouldn't be so formal with me, I am not that stuck in tradition. Keep that for when your auntie Nodoka is visiting." It confused Usagi that her mother seemed so upset over such a small thing as showing the proper respect, a thing she was sure that most parents found lacking in their children. She was also a bit uncomfortable with the realisation that she felt the need to be so formal with her mother when she never had before. They had always been close, and Tsukino Ikuko had never been a stickler for formality.  
'It must be from sitting in on Princess Serenity's lessons on manner and poise last night.' She sighed, a bit put out at the dreams, and the fact that she couldn't seem to stop them from influencing her. Usagi cast about for an excuse for her change in behaviour, seeing the concerned look on her mothers' face.  
"I am sorry Moth- Mom. It's just," She paused, embarrassed that she had to ask for something she was sure all her friends had learnt in school, "Mother, would you teach me to cook? Or, or just to make breakfast, and maybe lunch? I am fourteen now, and Miss Haruna moves too fast in home economics, I just cannot keep up, but I want to be a Lady, like you, and Auntie, and Grandma Kimiko, and Ladies can cook and sew and stuff. I just do not want to be a little girl anymore, and," She was grateful when her mother enveloped her in a hug, ending the stream of embarrassing babble.  
"Oh, my ba- my Usagi, if it means that much to you, I'll talk to your grandmother about arranging bridal training or something, and you can start helping me with meals from now on."

Tsukino Kimiko smiled to herself as she listened to the short message on her answering machine from her youngest daughter. She had been rather put out when her Ikuko had chosen to live after the more western fashion, eschewing the traditional garb of her station after her father's untimely death.  
It had been a hard time for the family, and Kimiko could admit privately that she had perhaps been more obstinate than usual due to the circumstances of Yusuke's death. Perhaps she should have... No, that was the past. She refused to dwell on it now. Her granddaughter had decided to embrace what Ikuko had shunned, and that was cause for celebration.  
Kimiko's smile turned pensive. Maybe this could be useful in luring her middle daughter out of her funk. Nodoka needed something to focus her attention on, and teaching a niece how to live up to the Tsukino name could fill that need. Perhaps she could even lure her eldest daughter to take part.

Usagi was munching on her self-made packed lunch. It seemed to be shaping up to be a good day so far. Miss Haruna had been pleased with her when she had handed in her homework along with everybody else, and nobody had teased her about it. It felt great to know that she didn't have detention today for sleeping in class, and best yet; she had yet to trip over her own feet at all.  
"Usagi!" She looked up from her delicious lunch to see Naru walking up to her table, smiling enormously. Something had put her in quite a good mood. "Usagi, it’s a beautiful day, isn't it?" a happy flush was pinking the brunette's cheeks. Usagi smiled, sharing her friend's happiness, just happy that Naru was all right. It had been a terrible scare to see her hanging there, looking lifeless in the hands of the monster.  
"You are in a good mood, Naru. But you are right, it is a beautiful day." Something must have shown on her face, because a blink of an eye later, Naru was hugging her. "What's wrong, Usagi? You look so tired."  
Usagi leaned into the hug, feeling more tired than she could remember. 'Remember that when you use the magic within you, you are taxing your body and spirit at the same time. You should always plan for time to rest out after casting. That is why you are using particle weapons in your self-defence training; magic would be useless in intense combat.'   
Usagi frowned a bit. That 'advice' was pretty useless to her, after all, she couldn't just lie down and nap in the middle of a fight, and she didn't have any part-whatever weapons.  
"Usagi?" Naru had noticed her lack of attention, and she smiled reassuringly at her friend. "It's okay, Naru. I had some really weird dreams last night, and I don't feel very rested. I'll be fine." Naru smiled right back. "That's okay, Usagi, we have home economics next, and you always seem to get in a good nap there." Usagi mock-growled at her friend then pushed her away. "You can be so mean to me, Naru! I'm a growing girl, and growing girls need their beauty sleep. So, why are you so happy, besides that it is a beautiful day?" It was nice to get back to her life for a while, away from Sailor Moon and Serenity.

She scanned the arcade for her crush, her blue eyes smiling and butterflies whirling in her stomach like they always did when she went to the arcade. Her smile froze when she saw him. He was standing behind the counter with a strange woman, immersed in conversation. He knew her very well.  
"Hello, Miss Tsukino, Usagi." She whirled, startled at the appearance of her newest friend.  
"Mr Chiba! Hi, I didn't see you!" she said, trying to smile at him, even though her heart was breaking with every familiar touch between her crush and another woman.  
Chiba Mamoru was no idiot, though sometimes he acted like one. He saw the pain in Usagi's eyes when she had seen Motoki, and something in him could not stand for it. Usagi was too pure a being to be allowed to suffer. "Would you care to join me for a milkshake? I'm sure Motoki could pull himself away from Reika for long enough to make us some."  
'Always to the rescue, Prince Endymion?' A smile, 'For You, Princess? Of course. Royal brats should stick together.'  
Usagi threw a furtive glance at the man she had thought, dreamt that she would spend her life with ever since they were children, trying to forget the voices in her head. She didn't notice the distracted look on her companions’ face.   
"I would love to."

Mamoru smiled reassuringly, "You can call me Mamoru." Usagi smiled weakly at the polite young man. Young man? He is older than me. "Thank you, Mamoru."  
Feeling uncomfortable at the silence that followed, Mamoru signalled for Motoki to come and take their order, as he led Usagi to a nearby table. "So, how did you do on your mock-exam, Usagi?" Usagi lit up. Her mother had been ecstatic when she had brought home her grade. "Oh, I got 80 per cent! Mom was so proud of me!" It had been magnificent. Ikuko had hugged her, almost in tears and immediately given her a long spiel of how wonderfully she was growing up.  
Kenji, who had returned home early that day because of some owed time off, had heard the commotion and had joined in the hysterics. He had followed his wife's example on complementing Usagi and added to Usagi's joy by giving her a full week’s allowance because she was finally applying herself. It had been great.  
"That is quite good, Usagi. Working hard always pays off. I'm sure you can do much better if you apply yourself more." Usagi winced at the lecturing tone Mamoru's voice had taken. He seemed to be such a nice guy, but he needed to relax a bit.  
'Relax? I do not need to relax, Princess, and may I remind you that your Mother expects you to attend next week's diplomatic summit with the leaders of the Magellan galaxy. She expects you to be active at the summit, and if you aren't, then I'll lose my job!'   
Usagi shook her head, trying to clear the voice from her mind, again. She must have been staring at Motoki because his cheeks were flushed and he looked like he wanted to squirm. She turned to look at Mamoru who seemed concerned. She graced him with one of her brightest smiles, hoping to avoid any questions that might pop up because of her wool-gathering.  
"I'm fine, Mamoru, I was just thinking about something my friend said in school today,"

Usagi smiled weakly. When she had asked her mother for tutoring in certain areas, all of whom would fit the description of bridal training; this hadn't been what she had been expecting. Her aunt was more old fashioned than she had thought. Walking in front of her, her aunt made an imposing figure in an impressive blue floral kimono, neatly worn, with a beautiful rust-red obi that exactly matched her aunt's hair. Usagi was rather intimidated, to tell the truth. Her Aunt Nodoka had picked her up at exactly eight o'clock to take her kimono-shopping, and with no patience in regards to her niece's morning routine.  
'Kimono-shopping! Kimonos are expensive, and Auntie decides to get me one just because I want to be a Lady?'  
It made Usagi a bit uncomfortable to think of her Aunts greeting that morning. Her cousin hadn't returned from his training trip yet, and poor auntie missed him terribly. When she had greeted Usagi, she had been ecstatic to have a child to dote on. Usagi had been hit by an acute bad conscience. She hadn't visited with her aunt in a while, and auntie must have been terribly lonely.  
"Usagi, dear? Keep up darling, we really must get to Nobu's before nine, he is expecting us, after all." The prim but warm voice of her aunt snapped her out of her thoughts. She sprinted up to walk beside her aunt. "I'm sorry, Auntie, but are you sure you want to spend so much money on me? I'm sure we could find something less expensive..." She knew she shouldn't have asked the moment she saw the sharp look her auntie sent her.  
"Tsukino Usagi, I will spend as much money on my niece as I see fit. We are going to Nobu to get you a full wardrobe, so you can present yourself as a proper Japanese Lady at all times. You will wear it at all times during the day, except school, to help you become more graceful, and dignified. End of discussion. Your mother did tell me you might try to get out of this part of your training..."  
'What? At all times? Oh, crap. Serenity never had to saunter around in a kimono!'   
Usagi could feel her face paling. Tsukino Usagi walking around in a kimono? Her classmates would never let her hear the end of it, not to mention Shingo-Idiot.  
"bu-But Auntie, isn't a kimono a bit, formal, for everyday wear?" She realised that, once again, she had said something wrong just after she had said it. The fact that her aunt always wore kimono hadn't crossed her mind until that second. Thankfully her aunt didn't look offended.  
"Don't be silly, Usagi, what do you think we wore before the westernisation? Leaves and bark? There is a kimono for every occasion."

Usagi sat down carefully at the counter, feeling the stares of everyone in the arcade. It had taken her hours to put the damn kimono on, even with the direction of her aunt. It would have been faster if her aunt hadn't insisted that Usagi do it all herself, but her aunt insisted that it was the fastest way of learning. She rather liked the pretty pink and purple kimono and Obi, and Usagi was getting used to the feeling of near-total support the stiff obi gave her posture, though she was sure she would never get quite used to walking around in geta sandals.  
The weight of the stares hadn't abated since she sat down, as Usagi had hoped. If anything, it had gotten worse. 'This is getting ridiculous, hasn't anyone ever seen a girl in a kimono before?'   
Of course, her hair had been taken care of as well, though thankfully her aunt had decided to do that for her. It was now styled in an elegant coif that resembled her aunts. She felt rather proper in this outfit, much more elegant than she usually did. Of course, she also felt like an impostor. The admiring glances from people on the street had not been lost on her, and she felt embarrassed when an elderly couple had stopped on their way and bowed to her for no discernible reason. She was used to attention, negative attention for whatever reason, such as her general clumsiness. All this positive attention made her want to sink into the ground.  
'Who would have thought it, me in a kimono? Will wonders never cease? At least Luna shut her gob when she saw me. You would think she'd have higher expectations of the 'royal guard', but no, she thinks I'm nothing but a dull hick.'  
"Usagi? Is that you?" It took all Usagi's restraint not to snap at poor Motoki. The staring was getting on her nerves. She levelled a fierce stare at him, before realising what she was doing. It wasn't as if Motoki would make fun of her, or even treat her any differently once he got used to it. She relaxed a bit, not noticing that she had been meeting Motoki's eyes while she had been getting herself under control.  
"Yes, Motoki, it's me," she smiled one of her brightest smiles, gesturing with her arms to bring his attention to her kimono, “do you like it, Motoki? It's new, I got it this morning."  
She spoke with her usual exuberance, completely oblivious to his slight blush. The fact that he seemed unusually shy towards he didn't even enter her mind. "Yes, it is beautiful, Usagi. Is there some special occasion?"  
Usagi checked her Obi as she considered how to answer. The truth won out over an elaborate excuse that was somewhat less embarrassing than bridal training. She did not notice the young dark-haired man approaching from behind.  
"Hehe, actually, my aunt insists that I wear this as a part of my formal bridal-training. We started this morning, and now Auntie says that I have to wear a kimono all the time except when I'm in school." Motoki froze for a moment in surprise, Usagi thought.  
'It would be a shock, I suppose, clumsy Usagi in bridal training...' Motoki's expression became somewhat odd as if there was something he didn't quite want to understand.  
"That's nice, Usagi. I'm sure you will do well, and you look very elegant," Motoki hesitated for a moment," and very grown-up, Usagi. I'm sure you will be a good wife." Usagi felt as if her cheeks caught fire, and for a moment she was caught up in a pleasant fantasy of being Motoki's wife.  
'You can't afford to become this distracted at every pretty word, not while at war! Concentrate on your surroundings!' Usagi sighed a bit sadly. Just as she had thought the weird voices had gone, they showed up again.  
"Thank you, Motoki. That was kind of you to say." She winced a bit at the formal sounding phrase, but her aunt hadn't just bought her kimono that morning. She had also started drilling manners with her.  
"Good day, Usagi, Motoki." The smooth voice of her newest friend, Mamoru, startled her enough to get a small squeak, and almost sent her to the floor as she tried to turn quickly, not yet quite used to the added weight nor the changed centre of gravity the kimono gave her. A steady hand grabbed her shoulder, helping her keep her balance.  
"Easy there, Usagi. You don't want to ruin that beautiful kimono." Usagi huffed a bit, trying to cover her embarrassment. "Thank you for catching me, Mamoru,"  
'Endymion.'  
She stiffened her spine, trying to look more dignified, though she caught Mamoru smiling bemusedly at her from the corner of her eye. A familiar, yet alien, fondness welled up through her, spreading across her face like sunlight. Neither noticed the stiffening of Motoki's posture, nor the alarmed look on his features.  
"Would you like a chocolate milkshake, Usagi? If I remember wearing a kimono, you must be getting pretty warm?" Mamoru asked, also smiling. Usagi responded the only way she could conceive, a large happy smile accompanied by a frantic nod. "Yes, thank you, Mamoru."

Time passed at a surprising rate for Usagi. Before she knew it, she had spent a whole week sauntering around in a kimono, though thankfully not the same one. It was becoming second nature to shower after school and change into the rather intricate garment, though it still took her almost a half-hour before the kimono lived up to her aunt's standards, not to mention her hair. Then Auntie Nodoka would pick her up and they would walk to her home, a few blocks away, to continue the lessons.  
Afterwards, Usagi would be given a small stipend to go to a tea-master that her aunt knew, for lessons in tea-ceremony. Usagi winced at the memory of her first lesson. It had been a disaster, though thankfully, the tea-master was a patient elder man.

'Heh, at least I am getting better. Let no one say that Tsukino Usagi is an unreachable student... Okay, maybe a slow learner, but at least I can get through a lesson now without breaking a cup, that's got to be progress... I just wish Auntie Nodoka would let me wear my buns, the hair takes forever.'  
Luna was pleased with her progress in these areas, though, for the life of her, Usagi couldn't see what tea and kimono had to do with being the bodyguard of the princess. Even as she walked along at Usagi's feet, the little black cat would smile triumphantly when she thought Usagi wasn't looking.

What was worst for Usagi was that she had hardly seen Naru outside of school for the entire week. She sighed in relief when the sight for the crown arcade came into view. Another thing she had yet to get used to was the fact that it took her forever to get anywhere when she couldn't stride as she normally would. She quickened her pace, watching where she placed her feet in an attempt not to trip. Unfortunately, that meant that she wasn't watching where she was going, and thus the collision came as a complete surprise.  
"Oof!" By pure reflex, that Usagi didn't know she had, she grabbed onto the warm body of whoever she had bumped into. "Whoa there, Usagi. I'm sorry, I didn't see you there..."

Usagi blinked. She had bumped into Motoki? "Oh, I'm sorry, Motoki! I wasn't looking where I was going, I'm so sorry, and aren't you supposed to be at work?" She blinked again in surprise and felt her cheeks heat up. She was pretty sure she hadn't meant to say all that. An odd expression flitted across Motoki's face, which was followed by a warm smile as he pointed toward the door.  
"I am at work, Usagi. I was just heading out to take down some old posters..."  
Usagi felt her cheeks get even hotter. Here was the love of her life with his hand on her shoulder, and she was making a fool of herself. "Right, of course, you are," She forced a giggle, “I’ll...I'll just go in, then." She smiled at the blond and weaved in the door behind him. She didn't see Motoki stand at the same spot for a few minutes, lost in thought.

"Naru!" Usagi couldn't help being happy at the sight of her friend sitting in their usual booth. It just wasn't the same only seeing her in school. She hurried over so her friend, who had turned at her shout and was having trouble recognising her. It was somewhat gratifying to see the look of surprise on her childhood friend's face when she finally realised that the kimono-clad blond was Usagi.

"Usagi! You look great! But why are you wearing a kimono? Are you going to a wedding or something?" The little redhead's eyes where huge.  
'This is interesting...What's that weird feeling?'   
Usagi smiled a bit as she carefully sat down. Something felt a bit off. "No, Naru, Auntie Nodoka wants me to wear a kimono all the time as part of my bridal training, I told you that Monday morning." Naru blinked, seeming surprised.

'Hm, she must have forgotten...' Usagi took a closer look at her friend, a bit worried. Naru wasn't the type to forget gossip, not with Umino around to remind her. "Are you alright, Naru?" Naru looked down at the table, her entire expression changing with a sigh. "Usagi, did you notice anything odd about Umino today?"

'Well, that is different. I know She and Umino have been getting along better this last week, but I didn't think they'd get together this quick.' A sly expression stole across Usagi's face. "Why, Naru, I thought you'd tell me if you started dating someone, especially Umino!"

At the look of absolute horror on Naru's face, Usagi decided that her original assumption was incorrect. "No! Not like that, Usagi! I am not dating Umino!" Usagi couldn't help but laugh at the mortification that Naru was expressing. To Usagi's relief, Naru must have thought that Usagi was joking, as the redhead soon joined her in her laughter. The giggling took a wild turn for a while, Naru's giggles sounding more and more like sobs.  
Usagi felt the urge to laugh seep out of her as she wrapped her arms around her friend, lending her shoulder. "What's wrong, Naru?" It took a few minutes for Naru to collect herself. She turned away as she sniffled a bit and dried off her tears.

"I'm sorry, Usagi, I didn't mean to cry on you like that, it's just that Umino was so cruel to me today when you were at the nurse's office." Usagi felt a surge of surprised disbelief flow through her at her friend's words.  
'Umino was cruel? Umino Gurio?' Her attention returned to Naru, who had turned to face her again. "Yesterday he told me that he likes you, you know likes, likes you," she said in the tone that only a teenage girl can, causing Usagi to smile,

"and I said that he should go talk to that fortune-teller in Jubangai to see if you like him back. This morning he said that the fortune-teller told him that you should get married, so he didn't want me to hang out with you anymore cause I'm not as pretty as you and he doesn't want you to get ugly by hanging out with me... and then he walked up to Miss Haruna and flipped her skirt!"

The first part of the rant made Usagi both angry and disgusted with her childhood friend, 'How dare he say those things to Naru!' but those thoughts were cut short as the second part of the rant sank in.  
"He WHAT?" She winced a bit at her tone, which was a bit shriller than she had intended. Naru nodded only to be interrupted by the sound of breaking glass. Usagi turned to see what was happening only to see a large group of boys throwing stones through the Crowns large windows. Much to her shock, Umino was standing at the front of the group.

Before she even knew that she was going to do something, she was standing in front of the window glaring at the boys, almost shaking with fury. Her voice was sharp like the steel katana her aunt carried. "What the heck are you doing? How dare you vandalise The Crown Arcade?"  
For a moment it seemed that the crowd was stunned at her reaction until Umino stood forward with an insolent smirk. "Why shouldn't we? We can do whatever we want, and you can't stop us, so step aside, Usagi. As my future wife, you should learn to obey me."  
Usagi felt all emotion leave her face in shock, leaving her looking cold and regal.  
"You are no husband of mine, Umino Gurio. You were my friend once, I thought you still were, but I must have been wrong. You are acting as a bully, trying to feel powerful by hurting others. I thought you were better than this, Umino."  
Just as she stopped speaking, the sounds of sirens, a common sound in the large city, intensified and a squad of police cars surrounded the youths. There was a quick scuffle as the police got the children under control and took the leaders, including Umino, into custody. The cold fury was starting to fade from Usagi, a deep sadness replacing it at the sight of her eldest friend being forced into a police car.

"Luna, something weird is going on with Umino," Usagi said tiredly as she started to untie her Obi that evening. "He attacked the Crown today, and Naru says that he was cruel to her at school, and flipped Ms Haruna's skirt. It's just not like him at all. What's wrong with him, Luna?" Her voice was heavy with confusion, and sadness.

"Usagi, has Umino taken to teasing the less fortunate?" The felines voice was somewhat dry and yet sympathetic to her charges plight. Usagi took this as a bad sign. "And there's been a change in both clothing and demeanour?" Usagi nodded, waiting for Luna's diagnosis, as she struggled to get the bow off. "And he spends all his spare time with a bunch of imbeciles?" Usagi felt even worse at the compassionate tone her cat was using.   
"It's bad, isn't it?" Luna looked at her with an expression of utmost sympathy and just a bit of humour. "It's devastating. He's turned into a teenage boy. Course, you will have to dust him."  
It took a moment for the comment to sink in, and when it did, Usagi was unsure if she should be indignant that her mentor didn't take her seriously, or worried that Luna was right. After all, Shingo was starting to show signs of becoming obnoxious, and he was only ten!

"But, Luna... I can't just go around dusting the teenagers...can I?" Luna's expression was all the revenge she needed. "Seriously, Luna, something is wrong. It's not just Umino; it's a whole lot of the others, too. I think we need to look into it, maybe see if they have anything in common, or if they've visited the same place or been in contact with the same person. It could be a ploy from our enemies, trying to create disorder by riling up some teenagers to distract the authorities, and us, to stop us from finding the Princess." She said this in a reasonable tone, as she finally untied the bow. That seemed to snap Luna out of her humorous mood. 

The black cat jumped from her perch on Usagi's lap onto the low table and nodded.  
"You are right, Usagi, and that was very well thought out. Your training from the Silver Millennium is still somewhat preserved. I believe our best hope is to make contact with the rest of the Princesses royal guard, the planetary sailors: Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, and Venus. If that fails, we should try to contact the outer guard; Uranus, Pluto, and Neptune, and if that fails, we should attempt to reactivate the Queen's guard." Usagi nodded as she noted down the plan, paying extra attention to the kanji for the planets. The list seemed incomplete, somehow, so she decided to mention this to Luna.

"What about Earth and Saturn, Luna? And wouldn't it be pru-prudent to reactivate the queen's guard first, as they would have more experience? And how would they help us with the teenager problem?"  
Usagi was somewhat disheartened to see the sheepish expression on her guardian’s face, as the cat mumbled something under her breath. 

"What was that, Luna?" The expression didn't get any better.  
"I was just saying, heh heh... I don't know if the Queen's guard made it through to today, or even if all the Princesses guard did. I don't know who they are..."

Usagi decided that she didn't like it when her guardian wore that expression. She hated it. "Are you saying that not only am I looking for the Princess, I am also looking for the entire guard?" At the hesitant and quite sheepish nod, Usagi tried to decide whether this was worth the trouble and the colossal headache she was developing.

"Earth and Saturn, Luna?" She bit out while rubbing her pounding head. The cat's only rescue was that she seemed sorry for her ignorance. 

"I'm sorry, Usagi, but I don't think there ever was a Sailor Earth, and Sailor Saturn was more of a last resort than a guardian of the realm, the ultimate suicide trooper, she could level a planet with her most powerful attack, but she died if she used it. I don't think that she would be all that useful..." Luna trailed off, and Usagi had the distinct impression that it was because of the look of horror on her face.

"Suicide Trooper?" Usagi swallowed thickly, thinking back on all those world history lessons she had tried to sleep through. "Usagi..." Luna's voice was apologetic, but Usagi wasn't willing to listen. Suicide troopers were common in the history of war, she remembered, and her own country, Japan had used them as recently as World War 2.

"No, Luna. On with our problems. We should go scout the Crown tomorrow, see if Motoki knows anything. Maybe I can weasel a chocolate milkshake out of him." She sighed, rubbing her eyes as she put down her pen and made a grab for her nightshirt, intent on taking a quick shower before bed. Maybe the hot water would soothe her soul a bit?


	9. Chapter 9

They had traced the problems to the fortune-teller that Umino had seen. It was a large new development, with a bright neon facade and a long line of customers during daylight hours. Usagi and Luna had decided that they would go back that evening. Usagi still felt that they should put more of their resources into finding the other reincarnates, but agreed with Luna that this held priority. That didn't mean that she liked her outfit any better this time.  
"Luna, I want another outfit. Get me a proper bodyguard outfit. Now, because I am not going out there in this. What if my parents saw me? They would ground me forever." The little black cat shook her head in exasperation. "Usagi, they wouldn't be able to recognise you due to the SEP field generated by the fuku, and besides, that was the height of fashion in the silver millennium."  
The determined look did not fade from Usagi's face. If she had to be a bodyguard, she didn't want to look like a paedophile's wet dream. "No, Luna, this is non-ne-ne... discussable. I want a new outfit, and I want it now." Luna sighed and adopted a thoughtful look. She paced the floor, between the bed and the door, and for a moment, Usagi thought the cat would deny her again.  
"Fine, Usagi, but I can only give you that seed-gem for the Queen's guard, it's the only one I have and it's not developed, so you will have to wait until you become more powerful to get the full outfit." Usagi blinked. 'A Seed-gem? What the heck is a seed-gem?' A brief flash of a small coloured stone entered her mind, along with a half-forgotten longing for just such a gem.   
She nodded decisively. "Good, Luna I want an obsidian-class Alfa-guard gem." The feline looked surprised for a moment before comprehension dawned.  
"Of course, Usagi, I should have realised that the bodyguard of the princess would be trained to handle such, seeing as you would also guard her when she ascended the throne. I apologise." Luna gave a small semi-bow before doing the same loop that had summoned Usagi's brooch. A small obsidian stone flashed into existence, and Usagi picked it up.  
"It should interface with your brooch, Usagi" Usagi looked at the feline in confusion before she managed to figure out that Luna meant that she should put the thing in her brooch. As she did, a flash of light exploded from the brooch and completely hid Usagi from view.  
Usagi wasn't quite sure what to think of her new uniform. Her first impression was 'black', followed by 'ooh, lace!' and the realisation that she was wearing something that could be described as a feminine suit. The fabric seemed to be heavy black velvet, cut in strict clean lines with few embellishments. The jacket was short and open over a white, and somewhat frilly, dress-shirt, which was tucked into a pair of long, well pressed, pants. Usagi turned a bit, trying to get a feel for the outfit, only to discover that a long black cape, made of a material that seemed to be made of shadow, moonlight, or water, was flowing down from her shoulders. She fiddled a bit with the cloak, and straightened the shirt a bit, trying to find the best way for the lace to fall, while contemplating the outfit.  
'Hm... Well, this is...'  
"Luna, this is depressing. At least the Hentai uniform was colourful; this looks like a funeral suit, a tacky funeral suit." Usagi tried to keep the whine out of her voice. "I mean, who wears satin gloves, and a cape? Maybe some Gothic Lolita's, or cos-players, but as a uniform?"  
Usagi paused to try to find a more comfortable way to wear the tight bodice that hid under the lacy shirt. She wasn't all that well-endowed, she knew that, but the bodice was tight and not made for comfort. Usagi paused in her ministrations as a thought struck her. She moved over to her mirror and did a few poses.  
"Hm, I suppose it makes sense; the Queen's Guard were meant to be intimidating, and this could look intimidating, I suppose...In a stuffy, depressing kind of way. I would have liked something more colourful."  
An odd sound interrupted her musings on her new uniform. She twirled, luxuriating in the feel of the cape twirling with her, to find that her adviser seemed to have fainted. Quick as a shot, Usagi was a Luna's side, gently cupping the felines head in her hand. "Luna, are you all right? It's not that bad, really, I mean, at least we match now, so I really don't mind."  
Usagi sighed in relief when Luna groaned and shakily got to her feet. After a few moments, the cat seemed to have collected herself. Luna shook herself wearily before turning her attention back to Usagi. The cat seemed much grimmer than Usagi had ever seen her.  
"I apologise, Tsuki-No-Usagi-dono, I had not realized... I had assumed that the name was but a coincidence, an unlikely one, but you are so...different" the awe and borderline fear in the cat's expression did nothing to clear up Usagi's confusion, or to reassure her that Luna had not lost her mind.  
'Then again, I am the one talking to a cat...'  
"Luna, just what the heck are you talking about? You really don't need to call me by my whole name, Usagi is just fine, and you don't need to use -dono...cause that's just, well, weird, and nobody talks like that anymore." The wide-eyed look Luna was giving her, all awed and expectant, made Usagi uncomfortable. She never did live up to anyone's expectations.  
"Nonsense Usagi-dono, I would never presume... I mean, as head of the Queen's Personal Guard... I, I had... due to your current age and immaturity, excuse me for saying so, I had simply assumed that you were one of the Princess' Guard, not Her Majesty's finest."  
That odd inner voice was laughing again.  
A brief flash of black was all that a stranger would notice, but Usagi knew that they were there, the Guardians.  
Usagi sighed in annoyance. Just as she thought that the flashes had disappeared, they came back. She turned back into Luna's dialogue only to realise that the cat was looking at her expectantly.  
'Ups...' She nodded, watching Luna's face light up. It must have been a request.  
Usagi sighed again, hoping that whatever it was didn't need a verbal response. She picked up the cat and jumped out the window, hoping to distract Luna from her inattention. "Sure, Luna, just not...not right now. We have to save Umino." Luna looked at her, a bit oddly in Usagi's eyes, and nodded. "Of course, Usagi-dono, the Tranquility Protocols can be enacted later tonight. You will greatly benefit in the fight against the darkness, and I believe it will help us find the others sooner as well."  
Usagi winced. She needed to pay more attention to her guardian.  
The interior of the Fortune teller's shop wasn't what Usagi had expected. All creams and pale lavenders, the decor was welcoming, and not at all as spooky as Usagi had expected. She felt completely out of place, a crime-fighting heroine visiting a place that looked so harmless, but then, this was the only place all the victims had visited, other than the school. Luna had assured her that the school was 'clean' of dark energies not related to study-depression.  
A faint sound caught Usagi's attention. She followed it deeper into the pleasant corridor until she reached a largish door. Behind the door, someone was chanting something, a lot of someones.  
She cracked the door just a bit to take a look and promptly closed the door again.  
"Luna, there are at least 25 people in there!" She knew she sounded a bit panicked, but really, there was at least that number of her classmates in there, and they all seemed to be under the control of the fortune teller.  
The little feline rubbed her leg reassuringly. "Do not worry, Usagi-dono. Just aim for the fortune teller with your tiara..."  
Usagi turned to the cat in panic. "My tiara?"  
Usagi sat there, staring at Luna in disbelief as the reality of the situation seeped into her mind. Her tiara was her only known weapon, but that was part of the Hentai uniform, not this new one. She was unarmed in the enemies' layer, and as far as Usagi knew, there were no backups.  
'This cannot be happening...What the heck am I supposed to do, defeat the monster by talking at it, or by looking dashing?'  
The little black cat seemed just as stupefied as Usagi felt. For a moment, Usagi considered just turning around and leaving, maybe calling the police, but what would she tell them? Some super creepy fortune-teller is brainwashing some kids? They would think she was talking about some quack, or that she was a quack.  
"Usagi-dono, I believe that you should go in there and do what comes naturally."  
Usagi was somewhat relieved that she could see some doubt in the felines face because if she hadn't Usagi would have straight out refused. She opened the door a bit so she could recount the people she would be facing before turning to face Luna again. "Just do what comes naturally? Are you INSANE?"  
The blond then realised her mistake. It was not a particularly bright Idea to shout at Luna when they were trying to be stealthy. To Usagi the door seemed to open unnaturally slowly, expelling the mob of her classmates in a slow-motion rush.  
Later Usagi would not have been able to tell you how she incapacitated the mob, other than to say that 'the sparky powder put them to sleep' which would, in fact, be an apt description. In a moment of panic, between moments of running around the room like an idiot, she had flung the end of her cape in the general direction of the group. For a moment it looked like the cape disintegrated as a large amount of silver dust covered the mob, immobilising them quite effectively.  
Usagi stopped her mad dash around the room in shock. Lucky for her, so did the fortune teller, if only to do a double-take. For a second the sheer absurdity of the moment made Usagi feel faint.  
'This is just like in an Anime! How did I get into an Anime?'  
Usagi felt like crying. This was terrifying and she was not used to being terrified on a regular basis. In a moment of fear-induced bravery, Usagi pooled all the weird power she felt running through her into a sharp point in front of her fist and punched the fortune teller, causing it to disintegrate in a burst of white light. Usagi took a deep shuttering breath before running over to pick up Luna and running home.  
As soon as she heard the latch of her window closing, Usagi's knees gave out as the last of the adrenaline faded away. She felt Luna rubbing against her side, the soft black fur sliding against her cheek in an attempt at comfort. Her blue eyes met Luna's amber.  
"Luna...I can't do this, just rushing in like that...I'm glad that the others aren't under that woman's control, but I killed her? Did I just kill her? Tell me she was a youma, Luna, please!"  
She could feel hot tears making their way down her cheeks. That fortune-teller looked almost like any other person, though at the end she had started to morph a bit, but could that have been a woman that was just possessed?  
'Oh Kami, what have I done?'  
A flash of battle, of death and war, of graveyards and memorials.   
A flash of the bridge of the royal flagship, The Queen, regal in a black uniform, giving the order for thousands of people to be killed, Serenity standing beside her mourning the necessity.  
A lecture on the idea of responsibility and leadership.  
The eyes of her companion held an unending amount of comfort. Luna padded around her so that she was facing Usagi straight on, putting a soft paw on Usagi's wrist. Usagi turned her wide panicked eyes to her companion, searching for comfort.  
"Usagi-dono, calm down. Your senses are not as finely tuned as they once were, and as such, you could not feel the amount of evil flowing from the Youma. Once we activate Tranquility, your senses will become much sharper and you will have the standardised training reintegrated into your memory. I promise, things will get better, and soon we will find the other Senshi. You will have others to rely on."  
The warm glow of the hall lights reflecting in her fur offset the soft tone of Luna's voice. It took a moment for Usagi's stressed brain to notice the irregularity. A cold chill flashed down her spine. Almost in slow motion, Usagi turned to lock eyes with her startled mother. Ikuko stood with one hand on the door handle and an arm full of linens, on her way to change Usagi's sheets.  
Her eyes were wide in surprise and her lips were parted in what would have been a gasp had she not seemed petrified by the sight of her only daughter conversing with a clearly magical cat.  
"Usagi?"  
Usagi was too horror-struck to react. She had never even thought of how her parents would react to this new aspect of her life. It had not occurred to her that they might find out, and it was too soon in her evil-fighting career for her to think of telling them on her own. Now how to deal with this...  
Ikuko seemed frozen. Time crawled. Then the impossible happened.  
Ikuko smiled.  
In fact, her smile was so wide that it looked like it might split her face. Her eyes grew large and sparky with awe and happiness, and her lips parted to release a loud girlish squeal as she turned and stuck her head out the door, a squeal that turned into a shout.  
"KENJI! KENJI! HURRY IN HERE! USAGI IS A DEMON HUNTER! SHE HAS A TALKING CAT!"  
Usagi watched in complete confusion as her mother jumped up and down in excitement. No more than a moment later her father, and Shingo, who both looked rather rumpled and sleepy, joined her. Usagi vaguely remembered that the two were planning to watch a new Kung-Fu movie on television that evening. It looked like they may have fallen asleep on the couch.  
Her little brother looked at Usagi and Luna in confusion, while Kenji broke into a wide smile at the sight of his daughter kneeling on the floor, in a magical outfit, with an apparently magical cat.

Usagi fidgeted as she sat in her parent's living room. Her parents' had ushered her into the living room and told her to wait there for them. They had something in the attic they wanted to share with her and Shingo.  
Luna seemed as surprised at this turn of events as Usagi felt. She was sitting on the back of the sofa, looking back and forth between the living room door and Usagi. Shingo had taken a seat across from Usagi and was currently freaking her out by staring at her with an awed expression. It was a new and worrying experience from her usually so derisive younger brother.  
Needless to say, Usagi was wound tight as a bowstring, which is why it should be no surprise that she jumped a foot in shock when Shingo broke the silence.  
"You really fight demons, Usagi?"  
Instinctively she leaned forward and a hand rose to slap the young boy across the back of his head, a reprimand for scaring her just on the tip of her tongue.  
"Usagi-dono, don't! You are still transformed!"  
Usagi froze, feeling her blood leave her face as Luna's words sank in. She had almost struck her brother with her enhanced strength. A thought later she was back in her school uniform, hugging her little brother harder than she ever had.  
"I'm so sorry, I wasn't thinking. Yeah, I fight demons."  
Shingo sat in her embrace, confused about what had just happened. Before the situation could become anymore awkward, the adult Tsukino entered the room, each carrying a chest about the size of a large suitcase, her father's looking more worn as if it had been in constant use.  
Her mother placed hers down right in front of the coffee table, laying it down and opening it to reveal what seemed to be a mass of red fabric. Ikuko smiled up at her children, who were both leaning over the table to get a better look.  
"I've never told you about your grandfather, have I?"  
Ikuko wore a melancholy smile as she caressed the fabric. Seeing her children shake their heads in denial, she grabbed the fabric and stood, bringing it up to show the kids that it was a pair of red hakama, the kind Miko priestesses wore around temples. Underneath the hakama lay the rest of the traditional Miko outfit, and underneath that lay the traditional garb of the Shinto Priest.  
Usagi looked from the garments back at her parents. Both seemed sad, though it was her mother that was most affected. Kenji laid his hand on Ikuko's shoulder, offering his support. Ikuko sighed and seemed to draw strength, taking a deep breath before continuing.  
"Your grandfather was the priest at our family shrine, in Chiba prefecture, before his death. When I was your age, Usagi, I had been a Miko for several years already and I am sure that you would be a Miko were my father still alive."  
Ikuko paused to release a quivering sigh.  
"When I met your father, I started training to become a priest. It was love at first sight, and I knew I would marry Kenji. I achieved priesthood a year before you were born, Usagi, and everything was perfect. We were living our dream, and we thought we were free to be happy. There hadn't been demon sightings for over three years by then."  
From between the folds of the priestly garb, Ikuko drew an ornate tanto.  
"But then a few months after your birth, my Father went mad."  
Ikuko drew the tanto from its sheath revealing the deep rust colour of dried blood on the blade. The blade itself was plain, in sharp contrast to the sheath and handle. Ikuko turned to face her children with an almost heartbroken expression, before focusing on the blade, carefully touching the dried blood.  
"Father was watching you, Usagi, while Kenji and I were out to dinner. It was our first anniversary, and he had encouraged us to go out and enjoy ourselves. Sometimes I wonder if... Well, when we came home there was a sense of evil hanging in the air, and we could hear you crying from the temple yard,"  
Ikuko was leaning into Kenji now, almost sobbing the story, clearly reliving that horrible night.  
"When we found you, Father had stabbed you through your chest and cut his own throat. If it wasn't for your father, you would have died."  
Usagi felt numb. She rubbed the long scar just under her collarbone. She had never known where she had gotten it, and her parents had always put her off when she asked them.  
'Well, I guess that makes more sense now. My grandfather tried to kill me before committing suicide. Huh.'   
A shiver raced through her body. Her mind grasped for something to feel, some reaction to this, this shock that she was facing. She could feel Shingo hug her, could hear him asking if she was okay. Even her other persona had no answer to this. It took several minutes for her to get her tongue under enough control to react.  
"Why? Why would Grandfather try to kill me?"  
Her mother could no longer keep her tears at bay and buried her face in Kenji's shoulder. Kenji seemed grim, nothing like the easy-going if overprotective father that he usually was.  
'I guess that makes sense to if I almost died when I was a baby...'  
Her father's voice cut through her numbness. He wore an expression of anger and guilt while staring at the case that he had brought down.  
"It was because of me."  
His eyes came to rest on his children. The blue eyes, usually so kind, were as hard and cold as steel.  
"I am not a reporter, nor a photographer. I do not work for an office, nor do I do freelance work."  
Kenji paused. To Usagi, it seemed as though he were looking into himself rather than at them. Kenji's eyes refocused on the children. He sighed before continuing, reluctant to share this information with his children.  
"Your grandfather tried to kill you because he thought I was a demon, and that you were an abomination, a hanyou. I first met your mother when I appeared in a blast of youki into this world. Your mother and aunt found me battered and bleeding, having been banished into this world by a demon that was attacking my home village. I participated in the battle against it, as did all other able-bodied Shinobi, and when I was struck by one of the mighty beast's tails, I thought I was dead. I opened my eyes and thought; 'This must be heaven, there are two angels here.'"  
He smiled at the top of Ikuko's head. Her tears had subsided, and she was smiling comfortingly at the two speechless children. Her eyes were puffy and red, but she seemed more at ease than before.  
"I am a Shinobi, a ninja, to use the common word. I tried to work a normal job after your mother had nursed me back to health, but few people will hire a man without papers or a high school education. I now work for a security company, as a bodyguard. Sometimes the government will ask me to take on an assassination in exchange for allowing me to stay in the country."  
He looked to his children, eyes begging them not to hate him, while at the same time not apologising for what he did. Ikuko half-hugged her husband, offering him the support she could.  
Usagi could feel Shingo cling to her arm. The numbness of knowing that her Grandfather had tried to kill her was replaced by the numbness that came with knowing her father was an assassin.  
'Okay, I thought I was the one with the double life? Mom is a Shinto priest; dad is an assassin. Mom used to hunt demons; dad kills people for a living. WHAT THE HECK!'  
Usagi turned to look at the younger blond that was clinging to her, half wondering if he would turn out to be an ultra-short spy working for the queen of England. Shingo seemed frozen, staring at their parents with an unreadable expression on his face. He then turned to look at Usagi, meeting her eyes with an odd intensity. He then glanced back at Luna, who was sitting statue-still, completely befuddled. His eyes returned to their parents, and he seemed to come to some decision.  
"I'm the only normal person here!"  
Shingo paused to look back at Usagi, and then straightened his spine before turning to their father.  
"So, you are going to train me, Dad. Mom and Usagi are demon hunters, so I'll be a Shinobi like you."

The machine stopped playing its message with a quiet click. Kimiko wondered why it was that she kept missing these important phone calls. She sipped her cooling tea, while her mind replayed the message from her youngest.  
Kimiko could almost understand her daughters need for a simpler life if this was the usual rate of upheaval. She didn't remember things moving this fast when she was young, but then she had never tried to find normality as her daughters had. Of course, Demons had been much more common in her youth. This long pause in the demonic activity must have lulled them all into a false sense of security.  
Then again, perhaps it seemed worse than it actually was because they had become used to the more mundane lifestyle over the years. It was not unheard of for the demonic energies to go into hibernation for a while, sometimes for centuries. Twenty years had passed since last her family had been called upon, and she supposed that she had been lax to allow her children their peace. The fact that her eldest granddaughter had been called into action while the rest of the family was unaware was disturbing.  
Kimiko sighed to herself and put aside her tea. If her unprepared grandchildren were being drafted into their ancient roles, she would have to help them to the best of her ability. Ikuko and Kenji would take care of their children's training, but Hiroko had only her old father in law, who was rather out of touch with reality. She thought of her eldest grandchild, Ranma. She hoped his father would prepare him to be a true Tsukino, a man amongst men. If not, she worried that poor Ranma would not be ready to fulfil the role destiny had lain out for him.

Usagi sighed as she tried to get comfortable in her bed. It had been *such* a long day.  
The debate over Shingo's training, and whether he should have the training, that had erupted had lasted hours. It had been near midnight when Usagi had finally had time to explain her own powers and responsibilities. Her family was understanding and supportive, especially Shingo, who had ended up winning the earlier argument.  
Usagi sighed as she looked over to her desk. She had forgotten to do her homework, which was no big thing, seeing as it was Friday. She reached over to her desk to turn on the radio. There were just too many thoughts swirling around her mind for her to sleep.  
'Maybe some background noise will help.'  
Her father had demanded that Usagi go through proper training instead of this 'Tranquility thing' that Luna had planned. He was opposed to letting anything mess with his children's heads, and was of the opinion that it was pure laziness to just 'download' the proper training into Usagi's mind. In the end, they had all agreed to have Kenji train Usagi on her nightly patrols, while Shingo would train with Ikuko. Neither Kenji nor Usagi were too fond of the thought of having those two with them on patrol. Usagi was not too fond of the thought of bringing her father on patrol either, but she had gotten most of her stubbornness from him, so she was not about to try to dissuade him.  
"...this love letter was sent in by Miss Haruna the Dreamer, in Jubangai..."  
Usagi blinked in surprise.  
'Miss Haruna is sending love letters to a radio show? Wow, how weird.'  
'You will soon learn that even your teachers are people, Serenity. They have feelings and make mistakes just like everyone else.'  
The feeling of a heavy cat landing on her stomach ripped her from her thoughts.  
"Usagi-dono, you should really try to get some sleep. You have training with your father in the morning and a teatime appointment with your aunt. I imagine you will need all the energy you can get."

Monday morning saw Usagi dragging herself to her classroom, on time and sore from her weekend. Her home life had taken a turn for the bizarre since her parents had discovered her secret, and she had discovered theirs. Oddly enough, she felt somewhat freer than she had, as she no longer had to explain odd absences or bruises, but in a way, she also felt more restricted. Her parents had all of a sudden taken an interest in all aspects of her life, from vanquishing evil to her English grades. Her mother had actually sat Shingo and Usagi down to help them study and make to make sure, they finished their homework.  
'What I don't understand is why it took me being a celestial warrior for them to take an active interest in what their children are doing. Weren't we interesting enough before all this crap?'  
"Lady Usagi?"  
For a moment, Usagi thought Luna had followed her to school, before realising to whom the voice belonged. She turned in her chair to face Umino, who had sat down at the desk behind her. She was sad to see the bone-deep weariness she felt reflected back at her from Umino's watery blue eyes that for once were not hidden behind thick glasses. As soon as he realised that he had Usagi's attention, Umino stood, only to kowtow before her. Usagi felt a sudden surge of pain from somewhere within her at the sight of her oldest friend in such a submissive position. Umino looked miserable.  
"I apologise, Lady Usagi, for the insult to you and Lady Naru, as well as my greatly reprehensible behaviour of the last week. I humbly beg your forgiveness, and hope that one day; I will be able to regain your friendship. Until such a time, I will serve you to the best of my ability."  
Usagi sighed, before leaning out of her chair and enveloping her friend in a warm hug, stroking his back when she felt his shoulders begin to shake. Usagi noticed Miss Haruna awkwardly standing in the door a moment later, holding back the crowd of student waiting to start class.  
"I forgive you, Gurio."

"You can't be serious?"  
Mamoru held back a laugh. Usagi nodded, giggling into her chocolate milkshake. She had bumped into Mamoru outside the Crown after her tea ceremony lessons, and he had offered her a milkshake.  
"Yeah, I can't believe how patient with me, Mr Masaru is. I think I've broken a whole tea set by now."  
Usagi smiled at Mamoru, feeling that odd familiarity welling up at the sight of the older boy. It was as if she had known him for years. He even made her feel comfortable sitting in the Crown wearing her pale green kimono.  
"I'm sure it isn't that bad, Usagi. The tea ceremony can be very difficult, I'm sure, and though I have been wondering why you are in bridal training. Aren't you a bit young to be engaged?"  
Usagi's eyes flew back to Mamoru, feeling her face heat under a fierce blush.  
"Uh, n-no, I'm not engaged. I asked my mother for the training because I want to be. I mean, one day, you know? When I get married, I want to be a good wife. I want to be someone worth marrying."  
She had not realised that she was looking at her hands until Mamoru had covered them with one of his own. She looked up to meet his familiar blue eyes. That odd feeling was growing stronger, almost overpowering.  
'Endymion.'  
"Usagi, I am sure you will be a great wife one day. If your future husband ever makes you feel like you aren't, then I'll change his mind for you."  
Usagi felt the oddest sensation, for the first time realising that this was a kindred spirit in front of her. Acting on an impulse, she raised her hand and touched his forehead, pushing a small amount of energy into his skin. A slow green glow materialised into the symbol of the earth under her fingertips.  
Startled blue eyes stared into her own.  
"Usagi?"  
"Endymion. You are Endymion. We have to find Luna."  
Usagi stood, grabbing hold of Mamoru and dragging him toward the door. She had found a silver millennium reincarnate. Luna would love this; at least Usagi thought she would. She remembered Endymion fighting by her side, but Luna had said that all the sailors were women, or at least Usagi thought she had. Usagi had not been paying that much attention, but she figured that this would outweigh the issue of her attention span when she brought it up with Luna. She did not notice Motoki watching them leave from behind the counter, eyes fixed on their joined hands.  
"Usagi, where are we going? Who is Luna?"  
It turned out that, while Luna was quite happy, Kenji was quite averse to her bringing home strange men several years older than she was. It had taken her almost half an hour to stop his rant and explain that she somewhat remembered Mamoru and that he had the mark of earth. After that, Kenji had started in on the fact that just because she 'kind of sort of' remembered Mamoru, did not make him the least bit trustworthy in and of itself.  
"But dad! Really, I know him, from before! Can't you just trust me?"  
"Usagi, you have to realise that just because you knew him fifteen thousand years ago does not make him trustworthy today! You don't even remember him clearly!"  
Meanwhile, Mamoru was sitting in the kitchen talking to Luna and Ikuko.  
"So the dreams I've been having are because I am the reincarnation of Prince Endymion, heir to the throne of Earth, and fiancee to Princess Serenity of the Moon, whom Usagi is the reincarnated bodyguard of?"  
Luna nodded, completely ignoring the sceptical tone Mamoru was using. Ikuko patted his folded hands in a comforting manner. She may not be practising Shinto anymore, but her senses had not dulled enough for anyone with evil intentions to get by her.  
"Well, truly Usagi was the head of the Queen's guard, but otherwise, yes that is correct."  
Mamoru's next question was cut off by the arrival of Shingo, who dropped his school-bag just inside the door and sat down beside his mother, looking at Mamoru curiously.  
"So... Who’s this?"  
He asked in an interested tone then ducked under the reprimanding cuff from Ikuko at his lack of manners. Shingo threw an apologetic glance at his mother, before turning back to the stranger.  
"Sorry, I'm Shingo, nice to meet you."  
Mamoru smiled politely at him, clearly feeling a bit shell-shocked at the situation.  
"Chiba Mamoru, a friend of Usagi's."  
"And a Reincarnate, much like Usagi. They will likely be working together to find the Princess."  
Shingo looked back and forth between Ikuko and Mamoru; taking a greater interest after the mention of reincarnation. He then looked toward the closed door to the living room, before throwing an amused look at his mother.  
"Let me guess; Father isn't happy with this."

Usagi watched in confusion as Miss Haruna collapsed at the teacher's desk. She had noticed that Miss Haruna seemed rather tired these last few days, but she hadn't thought that it was this bad.  
Confusion gripped the classroom. Everyone was whispering and gossipping about what could be wrong with their teacher. In one corner a group of boys were organising a Tetris tournament, while a small group of girls were congregating around Miss Haruna and discussing who would go inform the office.  
Umino was catering to Naru's every whim, as she was much slower to forgiveness than Usagi. Personally, Usagi thought it had more to do with Naru's startled gasp when Umino had apologised, sans his glasses. It was a shame that Umino was as good as blind without the bottle-thick lenses.  
Usagi turned back to their teacher. They may not always get along but Usagi had a soft spot for Miss Haruna. She had always been kind to Usagi when she had been teased about her unusual colouring when she had just started school. Usagi was worried. Miss Haruna was always so chipper and energetic.  
'There is more to this, Serenity. Trust your feelings, look deeper.'  
'Usagi, look underneath the underneath. Your eyes can be deceived, do not trust them uncritically.'  
Usagi sighed in irritation. Not only was she having flashbacks to a life of service some fifteen thousand years ago, but her father's nagging was also popping into mind at random moments now.  
Deciding to try to follow the advice her subconscious was trying to give her, Usagi focused her 'otherness' towards Miss Haruna. Usagi felt an odd pulling sensation as if something was trying to drain her of energy. She squinted trying to force her eyes to see what she was feeling, forcing her otherness into her eyes. Slowly a pattern of colour became clear, haloing around Miss Haruna, being sucked into the flower brooch she was wearing.  
"Usagi, what are you doing? You kind of tuned out there..."  
The energy pattern disappeared as she lost her concentration. Usagi turned to see Naru looking at her with a worried expression, one mirrored by Umino who was looking over Naru's shoulder. The sight made an involuntary smile spread across Usagi's face.  
"I was just wondering where Miss Haruna got that pretty brooch. I think my mom would like it."  
A look of surprise and disbelief flash across her friends faces as they exchanged glances.  
"Lady Usagi, have you been living in a cave for the past week? Even when I was in my delinquency, I was aware of the popular new show, 'Midnight Zero' on FM#10. It is a show where women send in their love letters to be read on the air. The woman whose love letter is read is sent a flower brooch. It is really romantic."  
Both Usagi and Naru giggled at the lovesick look Umino was displaying. He was such a softy.

Usagi tried to draw out the trip home. She wasn't looking forward to her training today. A dark cloud seemed to hover over her as she made her way past The Crown arcade. She had been feeling awkward and puffy all day, and with the radio show she had to investigate, she was feeling frustrated. Walking around in kimono, learning about how to run a household wasn't on her list of fun pastimes.  
"Usagi, are you all right?"  
Usagi stopped just short of bumping into Mamoru's broad chest. She hadn't noticed that she was about to bump into him until he had spoken.  
"I'm fine, Mamoru," Usagi paused to look at her newest old friend. That odd recognition was still there, welling up as soon as she became aware of his presence. "I've found another lead, some brooches that drain energy from their wearers. They are being given out by FM#10, to women who send in love letters for their new show, 'Midnight Zero'. "  
Mamoru nodded, then grabbed her arm and led her into the arcade. He placed an order with a worried looking Motoki, before leading her to a booth.  
"Usagi, I asked how you are, not if you have found anything. You look tired."  
Usagi sighed and lowered her head onto her hands, not noticing Motoki nearing with their order.  
"I don't know, Mamo, I just feel so tired and puffy lately, and with all this training... Dad is pleased that I'm not alone in this, but he still kind of..."  
Usagi paused in embarrassment. Her father had not been subtle in his distrust of Mamoru.  
"Hates my guts?"  
Usagi couldn't help a small smile through her misery. Mamoru didn’t deserve her father's scorn. At least her mother liked him.  
"Don't worry, Mamoru. Mom likes you; she'll work on dad for us. And anyway, it's not like he can do anything about this. Given the circumstances, we are kind of stuck together."  
Behind her, all blood left Motoki's face.

Usagi threw a left hook as hard as she could, only to feel herself get thrown to the ground.  
"You left yourself wide open for that one, Usagi. You have to concentrate on what is happening, and for kami's sake, stop closing your eyes when you throw a punch!"  
Usagi sighed as she rubbed her sore back. Her father was a tough teacher, and he was getting a bit fed up with her today.  
'Tough love, Serenity. We are hard on you because we love you and do not want to see you harmed.'  
She heaved herself to her feet, turning back to her father, who was watching her with a concerned expression, which he tried to hide beneath his 'teacher' mask.  
"Again, Usagi. Open eyes, this time."


	10. Chapter 10

Sailor Moon ran at full tilt across the rooftops, trying to catch up to her father. They were patrolling the area around the radio station responsible for the energy-sucking brooches, but neither of them had seen or sensed anything out of order. 

"Come on, Moon Moon! You run like a little girl, and you are huffing like a geezer."

She couldn't keep back an exasperated growl. Her father was a pain in the behind when he wanted to be; always mocking her progress to motivate her. It didn't help her mood at all that he was running circles around her and not even breathing hard while she was huffing and heaving air into her poor burning lungs.   
Part of her wanted to throw some rude hand signs at the smug bastard, but the remnants of the old Usagi kept her from showing such disrespect to her loving and doting father. Now if she could just make him stop calling her 'Moon Moon'...

An odd spike of power caught her attention, causing her to stumble as she tried to turn towards it mid-sprint.

"Moon Moon?"

She growled under her breath, before picking herself off the ground and tried to locate the source.  
"Energy spike. Tenth floor."  
It took them no more than a few minutes to infiltrate the building. Usagi wasn't sure exactly what it was her father had done to the door-man, but it had granted them access, so she wasn't complaining.

They made their way into the radio studios on the tenth floor only to find a group of people spread across the floor. Her father was quick to check their vital signs in a grim manner that made Usagi doubt that he expected to find them alive. He turned to her with a surprised look on his face.

"Unconscious. Vital signs weak, but stable."

Usagi gave a relieved sigh. She was not ready to face the darker aspects of life that her parents had explained to her. Her relief was short-lived.

"Who are you?"

She turned to face the unexpected voice, proud of herself for not jumping. Her father had already drawn a kunai and was in a defensive crouch.

A dark nexus of energy surrounded a tall blond with a wicked smile.

Usagi felt a chill down into her bones. This person was familiar. Even as he smiled cruelly, Usagi felt that she had seen him smile a thousand times, compassionate and kind. The memory was a stark contrast to the evil she felt ooze around the blond.

"Moon!"  
Usagi startled out of her thoughts at the sound of her father's voice. As she had stood frozen, the other blond, 'Jadeite', had powered up an attack that was now flying toward her.

Usagi reached into her jacket, only to be surprised when her hand brushed against something hard. She grabbed it and used to bat away the energy attack, destroying one wall of the recording studio and bathing them all in shattered glass.

Her opposite hand reached into her jacket and pulled out the twin of the long dagger she had found. Working completely on automatic, she lowered into a fighting stance and started gathering energy to the crescent on her brow, which started to glow ominously.

"Moon, duck."

A rain of shuriken forced the shocked Jadeite to move. It was obvious that he had not expected her to bat away the energy attack. A few of the small weapons lodged in his right leg, causing him to fall to the ground in pain. Her father was on him before Usagi could blink, holding the blond by his hair with a kunai to his neck, and leaning down on the wounded leg, forcing a scream from Jadeite.

"Who are you? Who are you working for?"

Usagi watched, confused and disturbed by the sight of her dotting father questioning their enemy. Finally, after surprisingly little coercion, the blond spoke.

"I am Jadeite. I am a general of Queen Beryl's dark army, "  
'I am Jadeite, King of the Eastern Lands, protector of the Lord High-Prince, Endymion of Earth.'

Usagi blinked. It was disconcerting to hear one voice say two things at the same time.

"And what does Queen Beryl want?"

Her father's voice was cold and cruel as he pushed down on the bleeding leg, pulling another small shout from Jadeite.

"Queen Beryl wants to resurrect Metallia, and use her dark energy to rule the solar system."

A loud crash revealed the blonde's reinforcements, in the form of an ugly redhead in a tacky green suit. Unfortunately for Usagi, she had been so focused on the interrogation that she had neglected to check the room as her father had instructed her to in the theory lessons he held before joining her on patrol. As such, she was caught unawares and knocked to the floor by the redheaded youma. In a flash, her father had a kunai at Jadeite's neck.

"One more move and your friend here will be a head shorter."

Usagi preyed on the youmas shock to get back to her feet and swipe at the creature with the knives still in her hands. The creature, not anticipating the attack, was cut in half by the twin curved blades glowing with moonlight.

Usagi stared in shock as the youma fell in two pieces, black ooze splattering instead of blood before it burst into dark sand.

"Well done, Moon Moon!"

Her father's cheerful voice broke her from her surprise. She glanced at her blades, only to see the glow burning away the dark matter, the creature's blood.

The dark general seemed to lose all hope at the death of his minion. He was helpless and Kenji made sure he knew it.

"Right, now that little matter is out of the way and you are at our mercy, how do we stop this Beryl person?"

Jadeite did not cooperate, and Usagi saw a flash of anger cross her father's face. This could get ugly pretty quick. She hardly thought about it before her cloak sprinkled its silver dust, putting the dark knight to sleep, much to her father's surprise. They were both surprised to see a tuxedo-clad Mamoru standing in the broken window looking sheepish.

"I'm late, huh?"

Usagi ignored the pointed look her father shot her, sighing and gesturing for Mamoru to pick up the unconscious man.

"He'll sleep until I let him wake up. I'm tired, let's go home."

They had to put Jadeite in their basement, much to Ikuko's chagrin. Her father had gone through the room first to make sure that it was secure before letting Ikuko set up a cot. Mamoru placed the sleeping enemy on the cot, while Usagi wondered if her magic dust would keep him asleep. Her mother made that a moot point by placing warding and binding paper on the other blond.

"So, why were you late?"

Usagi winced. Her father had taken Mamoru into the other room to 'discuss' that night's patrol. This wasn't going to be pretty. She sighed and joined Luna, Ikuko, and Shingo in the kitchen.

The three looked up at her from their places at the table, Shingo looking grateful to break from the scrolls he was studying. Ikuko glanced uncomfortably in the direction of the living room where loud voices could be heard, before ignoring the sounds and turning to her children.

"Good evening, Usagi. I hope you had a pleasant patrol?"

Usagi nodded, unsure what exactly to tell her mother about the evening. After about half a second of her mother looking at her with that demanding expression, Usagi decided that telling the truth was her best shot.

Ikuko did not look pleased when she got to Mamoru's late arrival, but then, neither was Usagi. She just hoped that her parents weren't going to overreact. She enjoyed having someone close to her age to talk to about this whole thing. Much to Usagi's surprise, Shingo looked furious.

"How dare that Idiot! He's supposed to help you, damn it, not just show up late, in a tuxedo! Who the heck does he think he is?"

Luna turned out to be the voice of reason.

"I am sorry to ask, but how exactly did he know where to find you in the first place? He didn't start the patrol with you. You didn't stop to call him, did you?"

Surprise flooded the young blond. She hadn't thought about that at all.

"Luna, you're right! We need a way to contact each other, in case we need back up!"

Luna nodded with a pleased expression on her furry little face, before jump-spinning to produce a group of five stylish wristwatches. At the curious looks from the gathered family, she explained with some pride that they were wrist-worn communicators.

Usagi hummed on her way to school, munching on the toast her mother had helped her make for breakfast. Things had calmed down between her father and Mamoru when they had gotten communicators, which meant she had to endure a lot less grumbling from her father during training. This improved her mood quite a bit.

When she entered the school gates she was a bit surprised to see Umino talking to a rather tall brunette girl in a different school's uniform.  
Walking over, she got Umino's attention. He waved, bringing the new girls attention to Usagi.

"Usagi, please let me introduce Kino Makoto. She is new to the school."

Usagi smiled at the girl, giving her a short bow just like her aunt had taught her, before introducing herself.

"Hello, I'm Tsukino Usagi. It is a pleasure to meet you. Do you know what class you are in?"  
Looking into Makoto's eyes, Usagi felt a small flash of recognition but shook it off. She felt that way a lot, and it couldn't always mean that she had known this person before. Besides, the odds were astronomical that she would meet another scout so soon after finding Mamoru, the de-facto earth scout. Anyway, her mother had told her that meeting people with highly developed Chi, or other magical forces like her father's Chakra would feel similar.  
Makoto returned her smile, allowing Umino and Usagi to guide her to the office to register. Whoever she was, Usagi found her quite friendly, and a tad lonely.  
Usagi tapped her pencil on her algebra book. She had elected to stay at the school library for once, hoping for a break from the insanity that had become her life. Things had started to slow down in her home, her mother no longer watching her like a hawk, her father deciding that training could be put down to three times a week.  
'Perhaps he sensed how tired I am. He's good at that kind of thing.'  
Usagi had noticed, with a certain amount of exasperation, that she had started feeling a bit self-conscious about her school uniform. More than anything, she blamed this on her Aunt and a certain conversation that had mortified her one late afternoon just last week.  
Her aunt had always had an odd fixation on honour, which made the conversation about appropriate skirt length all the more surreal to Usagi. She shifted in her chair, trying to lengthen the hem of her skirt.  
"Excuse me?"  
Usagi jumped in surprise at the timid inquiry, forgetting that she was seated and nearly falling sideways off the chair. After settling herself in her chair again, she turned to face whoever had startled her so much. A petite blue-haired girl stood just a few steps to her left looking quite distressed at her near-fall. The girl looked like she was about to break into tears.  
"Oh, I am so sorry, Miss. I did not mean to startle you so much."  
Usagi smiled her best smile trying to put the girl at ease. It was Mizuno Ami, the girl-genius that always aced all her test. Usagi had never talked to her, but she had always thought that she seemed like a nice girl.  
"It is okay, Mizuno. I was far away in my thoughts. Please will you join me?"  
Usagi scooted her chair over to make room for the girl, who pulled a chair over to sit with Usagi. Usagi turned in her chair to face the girl smiling warmly. You never could have too many friends.  
"So, your name is Ami, right? Do you mind if I call you Ami? I'm Tsukino Usagi, by the way. You can call me Usagi if you want."  
Her warm smile was returned, if a bit shakily at first, by Ami. Usagi wondered why she had come over to her in the first place, but dismissed the thought as unimportant.  
Ami seemed a bit overwhelmed by the welcome, placing her books on the table and getting a pair of large square glasses from her bag before turning back to Usagi.  
"Ah, Usagi. I- I just saw that you seem to be having some trouble with our Algebra assignment. I was wondering if you want some help?"  
Usagi nudged up her smile a notch, causing the blue-haired girl to blush and break eye contact, unused to receiving such a warm welcoming smile.  
"Sure thing, Ami. I would love some help. Afterwards, we can go to the Arcade if you want. I'm meeting some friends there and I'm sure they wouldn't mind if you came too. We're showing a new student around today, Kino Makoto. I'm sure she would love to meet you. "

The living room was crowded that evening when the Tsukino-clan, plus one, met to discuss the plan for the evening. Usagi watched her little brother huff and puff with great delight. He had been a pest about not being allowed out on the patrols, so Mamoru and Kenji had taken Shingo on his first patrol, a quick sweep of the district, much to his delight. Usagi could see that her brother had regretted it. She swallowed her mirth and got a glass of cool water from the kitchen to offer the little pest.  
"So, Shingo. Did you enjoy patrolling?"  
Shingo glared at her, hearing the teasing tone. Usagi handed him the glass, watching with a certain disgusted fascination as he chugged the water, spilling a good bit down the front of his shirt. He turned, the curious look on his face making Usagi uneasy.  
"You were a bodyguard in a previous life? Dad is a ninja, Mom is a priestess, and you are a reincarnate celestial warrior. Why am I the only one without anything special? Why am I the useless one?"  
A flash of shock rolled over Usagi. She hadn't thought about how her brother was taking the changes in the family. She hadn't thought about how this must be affecting her little brother, being the only one without 'special powers' and prior training. Before her revelation, Shingo had been a normal, annoying little pest, little brother.  
"Shingo, you aren't useless. Mom said that she would teach you, and so did dad. It just takes some time, "  
Shingo shocked her with a glare full of resentment.  
"It didn't take you any time. You found a magical cat, and presto, you have all these neat powers and weapons."  
Usagi looked at her brother, feeling helpless and confused.  
'How can I explain the nightmares and the memories so that he can understand that it isn't that easy? How can I explain that my body remembers training endlessly, mercilessly?'  
She glanced over to the group of adults, all huddled around Luna, searching for an answer.  
'Memories...Luna!'  
"Luna!"  
Her exclamation was loud enough in the calm of the room to cause the group of adults to startle. Her father even switched to a defensive position between her and her mother. Usagi didn't care.  
"Luna, can everyone have past lives?"  
Luna looked at her suspiciously, clearly knowing where she was headed with that line of thought.  
"Yes, Usagi-dono, yet even if Shingo has a past life, I do not think that it would be prudent to bring forth the memories, should there be any, for the same reason that I have not done so with you. You deserve to be individuals formed by the course of your current lives. I could implant our form of training in his mind instead, but if he did not have any similar training in his previous life or lives, it is entirely possible that the training will not stick. Also, the muscle memories that you retain would be missing in Shingo. It would be an exercise in futility."  
Shingo's face seemed so serious to Usagi, so grown up and solemn that it sent chills up her spine. Her parents also seemed to sense the heaviness that enveloped their son. Usagi could almost hear their silent conversation, held with glances and gestures as they considered their son.  
"As I am now, I won't be able to help you any. It will take years before I can be an equal, even to Mamoru, and all he does is throw stupid roses. If there is a chance that I can be more useful... "  
Ikuko came over to sit by her son, wrapping her arms around him in comfort.  
"Shingo, you don't have to do this. Millions of people go through their entire lives without ever needing to fight. I love that you want to help, but I don't want to lose my son, and if Luna does return those kinds of memories to you, I might. You wouldn't just be you anymore. I love you, and Usagi, just the way you are. You don't have to be 'special' or powerful, just be yourself, okay?"  
Usagi could see the sadness and the determination in her brother's eyes as they met hers over their mother's shoulder.  
"I will still be me, mom, just a different me. I have to do this."  
Luna looked to Usagi, looking for either approval or censure. Usagi met her brother's eyes once again, searching for the right thing to do.  
'It is his choice. For good or ill, it is his choice.'  
Feeling an odd foreboding, Usagi nodded to Luna.  
"Give him the memories, Luna."  
Looking almost mutinous the black cat walked over to sit in front of Shingo, ruffling her fur and yawning in agitation. Usagi watched as the small crescent on the cat's forehead started to glow, feeling a slight sympathetic itch on her forehead, before a beam of light connected the cat to her brother.  
The next morning, Shingo still had not woken up.  
Even Luna was starting to worry that something may have gone wrong. Ikuko refused to let her family be consumed by worry, and thus Usagi found herself shoved out the door with a packed lunch in one hand and her bag in the other, and driven to school by Mamoru, who had struck up a frightening accord with her mother.  
"Hey, Usagi. Who was that hunk who dropped you off today?"  
Usagi could feel her face flush as Naru closed in on her like a shark. The situation did not improve when she realised that Naru was followed closely by Umino, Makoto, with Ami trailing behind them. Her new friends had meshed wonderfully with Naru and Umino, though they still tended to stay on the sidelines when Naru got going.  
"Nobody, Naru! It was just Mamoru, and he only did it because Mom made him!"  
The shark-like smile on Naru's face sharpened, and Usagi thought she could see the start of a smirk growing on Makoto's usually so friendly face.  
"Your mom made some guy drive you to school?"  
The smirk was colouring Makoto's voice.  
Usagi blushed, remembering the excuse, or rather back-story that her father had thought up in case anyone asked about her spending time with her fellow demon-hunter. Sometimes she wondered if Shingo had inherited all the cruel teasing from their father.  
"Uh..."  
She winced at actually having to use the story. One day she was going to get him back for this.  
"Uh, He's, uh, He's the guy that my parents have arranged for me to marry when I graduate High School. We had our last date a couple of days ago, and he is from a good samurai family..."  
The expressions her friends were sporting almost made up for the mortifying story. Almost.  
It was Ami who found her voice first.  
"A-Aren't you a little young for Omiai? My mother is waiting until I'm in my twenties before starting to search for a good husband for me."  
Usagi hid her surprise with a grateful smile, all the while cursing and blessing her father for his overactive paranoia.  
"Well, yes. It is because mom wants me to take over as priest at our family Jinja. She started training me and Shingo last week. I think it is because my Great Uncle Hideki asked her to. He's not married and he doesn't have any kids, so I think he asked mom if he could name us his heirs. Maybe my parents think I need the support of a husband..."  
Usagi trailed off, not sure how to string together the stories her father had concocted. She hadn't been quite awake when he had explained them, so she was rather surprised that she had remembered as much as she had. She was spared answering any more questions by the bell.

It was a worried Usagi that followed Makoto to the chess club's room a week later.  
It wasn't so much a lack of change in her brother, because there had been a change, but rather the fact that he had yet to wake up. Somehow, through magic according to Luna, her brother was not feeling the effects of sleeping for a week, but that didn't reassure the Tsukino family.  
Usagi pulled her attention back on the current issue, mainly that Ami had beat the current school champion, and that there was some sort of award ceremony happening. Makoto had been enthusiastic about it when she had told Usagi, singing Ami's praise to whoever would listen. Usagi had noticed that having a friend like Makoto was good for Ami. She seemed much happier than Usagi had ever seen her, blushing and smiling like crazy whenever Makoto was near her.  
The chess club's room was filled to the brim with excited students and faculty, much to Usagi's surprise. She had no idea that chess was this popular. The room was full enough that she was separated from the taller Makoto within seconds of trying to find a good seat. She ended up standing by the windows, trying to crane her neck to see around a rather portly teacher, whom she thought might teach advanced chemistry. The noise was rather more than Usagi had expected, given the usual quiet courtesy the chess-club usually exhibited, but then she wasn't the only student that had come by just to see the ceremony.  
A sliver of unease shot through Usagi. There was a rather large concentration of negative energy somewhere in the room. She wondered, somewhat wistfully, if it could just be the loser's feelings of bitterness, before sighing and depressing the emergency button on her communicator. Whatever it was, trouble was sure to be around the corner. A few minutes later, somewhere in the middle of the principal's long-winded speech about potential and talent, Mamoru tapped her shoulder.  
"You called an emergency, Usagi?"  
Usagi smiled at him, glad that it hadn't been her father that responded. She just wasn't sure how she would explain away her father visiting her during school hours, but it was almost expected that her fiancé would.  
"Can you feel the negative energy, Mamoru?"  
She felt him nod as she scanned the room, knowing that he was likewise trying to identify the source.  
A commotion at the front of the classroom drew their attention. The loser was glaring at Ami, who looked like she was about to cry. He had said something hurtful by the look of outrage the principal was sending the boy. Makoto looked like she wanted to step in, staring at Ami's face as if asking for her permission to beat up the little punk. The only reason she hadn't already gotten in trouble was that the principal was between her and the loser.  
The negative energy increased abruptly, bringing Usagi's attention back to the loser, a boy she recognised as something-or-other Goro. A bright red symbol had flared to life on his forehead as he collapsed. The red pictograph transferred to the chess pieces that he had been using as soon as he hit the floor. The black king seemed to grow arms and legs before growing rapidly in front of the stunned crowd.  
Usagi dropped a smoke ball before initiating her transformation confident that Mamoru was following her lead. As the smoke cleared the two darkly clad teenagers made their way through the, now panicking, crowd to where the mutated chess-piece was holding Ami by the throat.  
However, before Usagi could decide whether to try to reason with the monster or to attack, Mamoru beat her to it. A rather metallic red rose impaled the monster's left foot. After a moment of stunned surprise, the monster chess-piece screamed in pain, throwing Ami into the near-wall while trying to rip the ornament from its foot.  
Usagi swallowed her worry and drew her daggers, going in low as her father had taught her, and swiped at the monster's side. A wide black cut appeared, spilling the dark sandy blood that Usagi had come to expect. A swift cut toward the neck, coupled with a sharp red rose to the eye, put the monster down on the floor for Usagi to vanquish. Feeling sick to her stomach, Usagi walked over and quickly severed the head, turning the bleeding mess into a large pile of sand.  
Mamoru had moved on to check on Ami, who by this time was the only other person in the room.  
Usagi realised that she had neglected to say any of the spiffy speeches she had been making up in her spare time. The battle had been silent if you ignored the screams of panic and mayhem from the corridors.  
"She's fine, but...Um, Moon, you should see this."  
Usagi hurried over to see what had Mamoru so worried. Ami seemed okay at first glance, maybe a bit pale and scared, but she was conscious and didn't seem wounded. She found out what had caught Mamoru's attention. On her forehead, was not a scratch, but a familiar glowing symbol. Usagi stretched her senses, trying to get a feel of the girl genius.  
"Earth, do you recognise the symbol? She is one of us, probably a junior guard judging from the power-level I'm getting from her."  
Wide dark blue eyes widened, looking from Usagi to Mamoru and back, trying to discern what they were referring to.  
"That is the Symbol of Mercury, the closest planet to the sun, and the Roman god of Merchants and Thieves, and also the chemical element Mercury, known as quicksilver."  
Usagi turned an odd look to her companion.  
"And why do you know this, Earth?"  
Mamoru had the grace to look sheepish, though the look was short-lived, giving way to surprise when Ami chose that moment to join the conversation.  
"Um, Moon, it is pretty common knowledge to know who Mercury i-is. We've studied this in history as well."  
The blue-haired girl blushed under the scrutiny she received, though started to relax when Usagi smiled at her.  
"Well, Ami, we could sure use someone with your brains on our team, and you seem to be one of us anyway, so would you like to help us fight evil?"  
Usagi asked the question with a warm smile. She wished someone would have asked her, instead of it all just falling on her. It would also be nice to have a girl her age to gossip with. Ami seemed surprised at the offer, though the look was replaced by overwhelming awe.  
"You, you would like *me* to join you?"

Usagi led her group back to her house, thankful that the classes for the day had been cancelled as a result of the chaos. She was rather amused at Ami's reaction when she led them to her rather ordinary if large, townhouse.  
Ikuko joined them in the hall as soon as Usagi had announced their arrival.  
"Usagi, the school called. I trust that you defeated the demon alright?"  
Ikuko paused in surprise when she noticed Ami standing almost hidden behind Mamoru.  
Usagi took the opportunity to transform back into her civilian persona, signalling to Mamoru to follow her lead.  
"Yeah, Mom. We got the demon quickly. It had a hold of Ami, but Mamoru got it to let go with his roses. Then I got it with my daggers."  
Usagi grabbed a hold of Ami's arm and half-dragged the poor confused girl into the kitchen, before starting to scrounge through the kitchen for snacks. Mamoru grabbed the chair closest to the wall, followed by Ikuko who shooed Usagi away from the cabinets.  
"I'll get you a snack, Usagi. Now, why don't you introduce your other friend while we wait for your father to stop lurking?"  
They were joined seconds later by a somewhat sheepish Kenji, who sat next to the bewildered Ami.  
"Oh, this is Ami, err, Mizuno Ami. She's one of us, the soldier of Mercury, to be exact. I asked if she wanted to help out, and she does, so dad do you think she could join in on the training sessions? I figure we can get her a transformation brooch as soon as Luna gets here."  
Ami was under scrutiny by the elder Tsukino, while Mamoru and Usagi were gorging on the treats Ikuko had made for them.  
"Usagi, are you sure she is one of you? How can you tell?"  
Usagi smiled at her mother's warm concern for others and tried to ignore the suspicious look her father wore. It wasn't like he could help being a ninja. She focused her power into her index finger and poked Ami's forehead, forcing the symbol to glow so that her parents could inspect it.  
Which they did. 

Usagi found Shingo staring at himself in the mirror in the upstairs bathroom. Nobody had told her that her brother had awoken. Shingo had an empty expression, his eyes staring into the mirror unseeing. The sight sent shivers of fear and guilt down Usagi's spine. He turned to face her, surprising Usagi as she hadn't thought he had seen her. A pair of intense lavender eyes were focused on her. The change of eye colour caught Usagi by surprise. There had been visible changes while Shingo slept, his hair had shifted to match their Auntie Nodoka's bright auburn, and he had gain maybe an inch of height, but she hadn't thought that his familiar brownish eyes would change.  
"Shingo, are you alright?"  
The sound of her voice seemed to startle Shingo. The look changed to confused recognition. Shingo shook his head, a look of confused anguish that the grown-up hidden inside Usagi recognised all too well. "Usagi?" Shingo's voice broke over her name.  
Usagi made her way to the young boy, carefully wrapping him in a warm hug. Experiencing his past life was more traumatising than either one of them had expected.  
Both Kenji and Ikuko were happy, though Usagi could sense their worry. Shingo wouldn't say much of anything, still reeling under the memories of a previous life, but he did smile at their parents and had said that he was unharmed. Usagi noticed that he had managed to pick up a rather odd and old-fashioned accent to his Japanese. Usagi decided that he needed some time to himself to sort out his feelings. With that in mind, she decided to round up Naru, Umino, Ami, and Makoto for some relaxation at the crown arcade.

Neither Umino nor Ami could make it to the arcade today as they both had cram-school that afternoon so Usagi, Naru, and Makoto found themselves sitting at a booth in the crown, Usagi chatting with the two girls about all manner of things, and generally catching Makoto up on school gossip.  
"So, Usagi, how exactly did you end up engaged to Mamoru?"  
Usagi blushed, once more furtively cursing her father and Mamoru for their part in this endless source of embarrassment, not noticing Motoki eavesdropping by wiping the next table over.  
"Um, it's just something my parents arranged. He cheered me up and offered to tutor me, and Dad just kind of decided that he would make a good husband for me, I guess. He's studying medicine, so I think that helped. You know how overbearing daddy can be, so I suppose this is a way to avoid having him scare away any future boyfriends. This way he gets to decide..."  
Usagi winced at the too-believable Father-logic. Makoto seemed to be somewhere between boggling at the thought and wistful. "I wonder if my father would have done something like that..."  
Usagi frowned. She hadn't known that Makoto's father was dead. She wanted to ask, but then again Auntie had said something about respecting other peoples' privacy when it came to things like this. Usagi resolved to include Makoto in more friendly activities. The way she had latched on to Ami probably meant that she didn't have a lot of friends, and her reputation as a somewhat violent tomboy didn't help.

Usagi groaned in dismay. She just couldn't land a hit on her father. It was the most frustrating experience of her life. She rolled to her feet once again, scowling at her much too cheerful father. She would get this, eventually, she *would* get this.  
'Patience Serenity, all skills take time to master.'  
She could almost feel her eye twitching. The only good thing she could think of at the moment was that Mamoru wasn't faring any better than she was. Ami was showing an unexpected aptitude for martial arts giving the fact that she had always been a book worm. She was vastly out of shape, however, so Kenji had her running laps and doing strength exercises after having shown her some basic moves. Usagi felt a bit bad for her, but then again Usagi had been running full tilt to school for years. Her father wasn't likely to let her run with Ami until she could get something out of it herself.  
Usagi watched in somewhat hidden glee as Mamoru was taken down in three moves, before bracing herself for her turn.

"Usagi?"  
Usagi jerked her head up from where it had been resting on her homework and tried to look like she hadn't just fallen asleep while trying to write her English essay.  
"Yeah, mom?"  
Ikuko ran a loving hand through Usagi's bangs before joining her daughter at the table.  
"Usagi, I have been wondering how you feel about all this. I mean, it must be pretty difficult with everything that has been changing these last few months."  
Usagi rubbed the sleep from her eyes, wondering how to answer her mother. It wasn't a question she had been expecting. "Um, I don't know, mom. I mean, it's kind of weird, finding out I used to be some tough bodyguard to the queen of an intergalactic empire. I used to be this really cool person with this awesome job, but then, I'm nothing like that now. I'm just Usagi, and it's really scary that I have the responsibility for another person's life in my hands, and I don't even know who or where she is."  
Usagi was surprised at the torrent of emotions her mother's question provoked. She was almost crying. Ikuko wrapped her in a tender hug, wiping away the few tears that managed to escape. "Oh, baby. It's alright. We'll help you all we can."

The days passed much more since Shingo had woken up. Usagi noticed that her little brother spent most of his time with their mother, quietly talking and meditating. She wasn't sure if she felt hurt that Shingo hardly spoke two words to her a day because he didn't say a lot to anyone other than Ikuko. He had returned to school a few days after he had woken up, though Usagi didn't know how they had excused his changes. Everything was pretty quiet on the metaphysical plane as far as she could tell, and their 'guest' in the basement hadn't moved a muscle since they had captured him.  
Usagi decided that now would be a perfect time to get a transformation brooch for Ami.  
Ami paced Usagi's room, much to Usagi's amusement. Usagi was lounging on her bed, while Luna was watching Ami pace from Usagi's desk.  
"So, Luna, did you get a brooch for Ami? It had better not be one of those pervy outfits."  
Usagi asked the cat, glaring threateningly at her. Luna had the grace to look sheepish, having researched the current and past fashions of her host country. She regained her dignified bearing, gaining a small smile from Usagi. Ami was still pacing.  
"Yes, Usagi-dono, I have a few different transformation items that Ami can choose from to avoid the 'pervy' uniform. Since I do not have any more seed gems, I have had to design the uniforms myself. I have based the various uniforms on various traditional Terran outfits as befitting the station of a bodyguard, and tried to incorporate Mercurial tradition as well, though I decided to keep with the darker coloured theme that Usagi-dono, Mamoru, and Kenji have adopted."  
The black cat did a quick flip, depositing five different brooches on the desk. Some were small and simple looking, a lapel pin and a throwing star, one was almost identical to Usagi's with a more Mercurial theme, one looked like a lacquer comb, and one looked like a small winged staff, entwined by two snakes. Ami stood transfixed, staring at the jewellery with something approaching dread. "Now, Ami, simply choose one that either feels right or the one that you like best."

Usagi struggled to keep up to her father's harrowing pace, dodging a hail of shuriken while ducking Ami's new and sharp long-axe. Kenji had decided to expand their common training regime to include a few team practice battles on the various empty commercial lots scattered around the city. Team Kenji, of which Ami was a member, were winning the current battle, much to Mamoru and Usagi's chagrin. Usagi rather admired the way Ami had taken to her new position. Ami worked hard and seemed to thrive under Kenji's firm teachings, practising combat moves to exhaustion and working on expanding her knowledge of the silver millennium. Her new supercomputer, a tiny little blue compact computer and visor set, had been a great help in planning training schedules and patrol routes.  
A flash of a disappointed tutor, an immense sense of guilt, a resolve.  
'Must you always procrastinate so?'  
A sharp slap to her gut snapped Usagi out of her thoughts, sending her tumbling to the ground. Usagi glared up at Ami for a moment, feeling a small stab of jealousy at the other girl's skill, before she was swept up by Mamoru as he ran full tilt past the opposing team. Usagi was almost sure she saw an approving grin on her father's face. It didn't occur to her to scream in surprise or fright until she was already on her own two feet and peering around a concrete pillar, trying to spot their enemies.  
"Are you alright, Moon?"  
Usagi glanced behind her at her partner. He was an okay guy, once you got past his protective shell of arrogance, overbearing manner, and indifference. He also should have learnt not to use that nickname.  
"I'm fine, Earth-princess. It was just a flashback."  
A hesitant silence behind her. Usagi grimaced; hoping her tone hadn't been a bit too harsh. She scanned the area again, trying to catch any of the warnings her father had drilled them on, the slight fluttering of cloth, the movement of shadows, sounds, scents.  
"Flashbacks? How often do you have flashbacks? How much do you remember? Do you remember me?" Usagi felt a flash of surprise. She had assumed that her partner had flashbacks as often as she did. She hesitated, not sure how much she did remember, or how to explain what she did.  
"I've had them a lot, for a while now. I remember you, a bit. You used to sneak into the palace to see Princess Serenity, even though you always got caught. I think you were great friends. Neither you nor Serenity were any good at politics, you were sort of the misfits of the courts, though no one would say that because of who you were. You didn't like politics either. I think that you and the princess decided to get married because you were afraid that you were going to end up in politically motivated marriages."  
Usagi whispered as quietly and quickly as she could. This wasn't the time or place for this kind of discussion. "Oh. Serenity and I weren't in love?"  
She wondered how to answer that, listening to her partner shuffle around behind her, not knowing what he wanted to hear. Did guys have romantic fantasies as well? Would he prefer if she told him they were in love?  
"Um, you were best friends. You would watch out for each other at the grand balls and help each other out when you could. I know you loved each other, I just don't think you were in love."  
Usagi felt bad the moment she had said it. The silence behind her had become rather sad, and it seemed that her partner didn't know what to say. Glancing back, she was horrified to see Mamoru bound and gagged at the feet of a rather smug Team Kenji.


	11. Chapter 11

Nodoka met her niece at the door to her modest home with a smile. Usagi hadn't had the chance to visit for a few days, not since Shingo had woken up. The whole family had been rather caught up in the silent drama that seemed to float around her younger brother these days. Usagi had been rather surprised at the aura that Shingo generated now. At times he seemed dangerous, much in the way that Kenji was dangerous; at other times he seemed like the sweetest kid that she had ever met, never mind his indeterminable mental age. Their two newest members seemed less sensitive to the change, neither of them having known him all that long. It made for a somewhat tense atmosphere at the Tsukino home.  
Sitting in her aunt's living room made Usagi feel like an ungrateful brat. The walls were covered in pictures of her family, many of them pictures of Usagi and her cousin, Ranma, playing around as toddlers, then later of her and Shingo visiting after Ranma and his father had left on their trip.  
The newest such picture was at least a year old. Usagi wondered if Shingo even remembered their cousin, having been only three years old when their cousin had gone with his father. She only remembered him a little, small thing like his favourite colour being blue, his love of animals, and how he wanted to be the best martial artist in the world. She also remembered his sweet disposition and kindness, something she had admired, and tried to emulate throughout her life.  
The tinkling sound of fine china brought Usagi from her thoughts as Nodoka placed the tea-set on the table with a happy smile.  
"I noticed that you were looking at the photographs, Usagi. I really must get a few newer ones; you and Shingo have both grown so much since the last one."  
Usagi smiled and nodded. Now that she had noticed how trivially she and her brother had been treating their aunt, Usagi wasn't going to continue to let the dear woman down. Her aunt motioned for her to pour the tea, which she did with a small measure of pride, not spilling or accidentally knocking anything over. It had taken her ages to get the correct motions down, the long sleeves of her kimono giving her quite a bit of trouble.  
"Yes, Aunt Nodoka, I think that would be nice. Shingo has changed a lot since the last photo, he's grown at least a couple of inches, and his hair is more like yours now. Maybe we could get a family photo too."  
Usagi waited for Nodoka to sip her tea before starting in on the delicious crackers. Her aunt would still occasionally send her these scolding looks if she ate with too much enthusiasm, so Usagi tried her best not to scarf down the enticing treats. Nodoka looked at her in concern, setting down her cup.  
"Yes, Ikuko did mention something about what happened to him. I understand that your familiar helped Shingo into a trance and revived his memories of a previous life. Ikuko has mentioned how bravely he is handling the changes he is going through."  
Usagi felt the deep concern for her brother well up from where she had been hiding it. It had been so hard on her baby brother, and part of her was wracked with guilt over her part in the decision that led to her brother's torment.  
"He's coping, I think. He hasn't talked to me about it." Usagi paused for a sip of tea, trying to clear the lump in her throat. "I am afraid that he blames me for the painful memories that have been returned to him. He wouldn't have done this if I hadn't recovered my memories first."  
Nodoka reached across the table, putting a warm comforting hand over Usagi's with a motherly smile. "I'm sure he does not blame you, Usagi. If nothing else, memories of an earlier life would probably bring some maturity, certainly enough to realise that it was his choice to retrieve the memories." Nodoka paused for a moment, fiddling with her hair and finishing a biscuit before continuing. "Now, I believe we were covering the organisation of a kitchen last time we met."  
Usagi was grateful for the reassurance and the return to their familiar routine. She nodded with a smile and helped her aunt carry the spent tea-set back to the kitchen.

The peace did not last, as a part of Usagi had known it would not.  
The end of the peaceful week was signalled during a meeting in the living room of the Tsukino home. Ikuko, Shingo and Luna were meditating on the couch while Kenji was lecturing the younger generation on proper battle strategy and vigilance when a loud beeping started. It was discovered that it was coming from their newest member, or more precisely, Ami's computer. The bluenette looked just as confused as the rest of the group, opening the little computer and gasping at what she found. Her large blue eyes found Usagi's.  
"Um, the Mercury computer is reading two foreign energy signatures a few kilometres to the south."  
The meditating trio was quick to join the other three at the table, Kenji pulling out a city map and having Ami mark the position of the energy signatures.  
"Alright, two points of foreign energy at once, which could mean two youma. I think it's time for full deployment if you think you and Shingo are ready, Ikuko?"  
Ikuko nodded, pulling on her Miko outfit over her house dress and fetching her holy relic, the blood crusted tanto, as well as several ofuda. Shingo, having dressed in a kimono and hakama since his awakening, grabbed a bokken Usagi had never seen before, then nodded to Usagi, signalling the trio's transformation. Kenji was already standing by the door.  
The group took off at a fast run.  
They found the location of the youma, a local dojo where Ami said Makoto often trained. The magically endowed trio took to the roof, Kenji and Luna slipping around the back, while Shingo and Ikuko walked in the front door. Usagi could feel the tug of dark energy from one of the rooms near the back of the property, feeling the other energy signature nearby as well, but recognising that it was not youma.  
In fact, the other signature was fading, the feeling inducing a sense of urgency in the blond. She gestured for her partners to hurry, before running full tilt toward the edge of the roof and jumping, letting her instincts guide her. Her hand slammed out onto the upper edge of the window, a few feet under the edge of the roof, swinging her back and through the closed window and landing her directly in front of the source of the energy in a shower of broken glass.  
The sound was followed by the sound of running from within the dojo proper, as well as two thumps signalling the arrival of Earth and Mercury. Usagi understood Ami's frightened gasp. On the floor were an old battered teacher and a young woman recognisable as Makoto, both looking like they were barely breathing. Over them stood a creature from a frightening folktale, an empty suit of samurai armour, holding a bokken in an aborted kill move. It seemed to be looking at them, in surprise or anger, Usagi couldn't tell. A door somewhere behind the monster crashed open, revealing the rest of the group, all geared up for battle.  
Usagi had time to blink in shock at the scene before Ami attacked the monster with an enraged cry. The young bluenette ran at the monster, her long axe viciously striking at the beast. Kenji, seeing his protege lose her calm, reacted by flanking the monster in an attempt to distract it from the recklessly charging girl.  
Usagi could see her mother and brother in defensive stances, blocking the doorway. Getting over her surprise, Usagi looked to Mamoru, signalling for him to help her move the victims to safety away from the hot-zone of the battle, trusting her father to call out to them if he decided that Team Kenji and Team Ikuko couldn't handle the threat themselves. She grabbed Makoto in a fireman's carry, surprised at how easily she could handle the brunette as if she weighed nothing.  
Usagi took a quick glance to ensure that her partner had the old teacher before leaping out of the window, to the fire escape across the alley, then on to the building roof. She laid Makoto down on the gravel roofing, before checking the girl for any obvious injuries. Finding a large bruise developing across the side of Makoto's face, Usagi started to focus her power into the area, trying to use her power to heal the damage. She felt an odd pull on her power as if it had a mind of its own and was seeking something in the other girl. Answering energy nudged at her own, pulling her energy to Makoto's forehead, where the sign of Jupiter flared to life. Usagi smiled, surprised and delighted that the search for the other soldiers of the moon was moving so quickly as if some divinity was helping her along.  
She looked over to where Mamoru had placed the elderly teacher. Her partner nodded to signify that the older man would be fine. Usagi smiled, feeling all together satisfied with the mission, though she was distracted from her satisfaction by the sound of fighting from the window below. Worry for her family settled into her gut, though she felt somewhat silly for it, knowing that her father would most likely have been in situations somewhat like this many times before.  
"Moon, you should go help them out. I'll guard the victims."  
Mamoru sounded teasing as if he had been reading her mind and agreed that her father could handle things. Usagi nodded, ignoring his annoying smirk.  
"Thank you, Earth-princess. Keep an eye on Makoto, especially. She seems to be a junior scout as well." With that, Usagi made her way back down to the battleground.  
Just as Usagi expected her father had everything under control, though it was Shingo that was fighting the monster when she arrived. She sat briefly in the window, just watching her parents circle the beast, while her little brother beat it with his wooden bokken. More worrying was the fact that Usagi could see Ami laying in one of the corners, bruised and unconscious.  
There was something beautiful about the way Shingo fought, almost as if he was engaged in a dance of blades, pure grace and economy of movement that took Usagi's breath away. He wouldn't be able to keep it up for long, he was already breathing hard and Usagi could see the strain of his untrained muscles him. He had seen her the moment she had perched in the window, Usagi could tell. She drew her daggers and jumped down, just outside the battle radius to wait for a moment to join her brother in battle.  
Shingo made it easy, almost pushing the monster towards her with a sideways slash that didn't seem to have much of an effect on the monster. Usagi sidestepped it while stabbing one of her daggers into a crack of its armour, rendering it into its base components, black sand.  
Ikuko was already tending to Ami, Kenji clucking disappointedly a few steps away. He turned to Usagi with a bemused and worried smile.  
"I had thought Mercury would have handled her first battle better, but then we never can tell how someone is going to react to it before it happens."  
He walked over to Shingo, who was trying his best to regain his breath, clasping the young boy's shoulder in a show of support. The young redhead had one of the liveliest expressions Usagi had seen on him since his awakening. In fact, he looked almost more bemused than their father, and to her surprise, he spoke, sounding more alive than he had for weeks.  
"This one is not in as good a shape as I used to be."  
Shingo stumbled a bit through the words, as if not quite sure which were more appropriate. He met Usagi's eyes with an almost angelic smile, completely at odds with his former features.  
"This one will have to train much harder if this one should continue to help his beloved sister in the future."  
The situation was surreal to Usagi, who still remembered a time when her brother and she would fight over the smallest things. Her mother interrupted her thoughts, professional mean in place and conscious of their surroundings.  
"Moon, are the victims alright, and did you manage to locate the other energy-signature?"  
Usagi was only a little surprised that her mother had taken to using the infernal nickname that her father insisted on. Ikuko was kneeling by Ami, her hands glowing pink, but was looking straight at Usagi.  
"Yes, Marishi, the energy-signature was coming from Juno, the junior scout of Jupiter. Both the victims are fine."  
Usagi couldn't keep the smug smile off her face. She could almost see the cogs and wheels turning behind her parents' eyes, both wondering about the codename and the new scout. She mentally thanked Luna for suggesting code-names from various mythologies.  
Usagi called up Mamoru on her communicator and asked him to bring down the victims, introducing the unconscious brunette to the group as Juno. By the time they had cleared the room of signs of a struggle; the elderly teacher had awoken and had started questioning Kenji on the whereabouts of the monster and their identities. Kenji answered to the best of his abilities, trying to keep them as anonymous as possible, while still answering the man to his satisfaction.  
Kenji ended up claiming the name Tsukiyomi for himself, while Shingo was dubbed Helios, much to his chagrin. Usagi figured they looked the part, Shingo in his gleaming white hakama, Ikuko in her Miko outfit, and Kenji in his black on grey ninja gear. They left the dojo, taking Makoto with them with the excuse that they were taking her to a nearby clinic.

The Tsukino home was quiet that evening. Usagi sat in one of the armchairs in the living room, watching over the unconscious girl crammed onto the small couch. The rest of the family had gone to bed, Mamoru in the guest room, Ami laid out on a futon in Usagi's room.  
There had been some talk over dinner whether Mamoru could move into the Tsukino home, though the issue had not been resolved. Ikuko had called Ami's mother to ask if Ami could spend the night, though she ended up leaving a message on their answering machine. She had then asked Ami for a number to call Makoto's family, only for it to be revealed that Makoto was an orphan, invoking Ikuko's mothering instinct.  
Usagi sat and watched the tall brunette sleep, her head full of swirling thoughts and visions of a long-ago time. Sometimes Usagi felt like her identity was slipping away from her, escaping her grasp one silver-lined memory at a time. She had been a happy go lucky schoolgirl not that long ago, though when she thought about it, she hadn't changed that much. It was her perception of the world that was changing. She wondered if Ami felt like she did and if Shingo could even remember who he had been and how he had thought before all this had happened. She wondered if her parents missed the quiet life they had become accustomed to, or if they were grateful for the change. She wondered if Mamoru clung to this so because of his lack of identity and if he would come to resent his previous life once he grew into himself.  
Her mother found her asleep in the chair.

Usagi woke up when her mother tried to sneak past the couch on her way to the kitchen. She rubbed her eyes before checking on the tall brunette who was asleep just a few feet away. Makoto hadn't moved at all since the night before, which sent a small shiver of worry through Usagi. She stretched a bit before joining her mother in the kitchen, somewhat surprised that Shingo was already there.  
Usagi sat at the end of the kitchen table, watching her brother prepare tea with unexpected experience, and her mother starts to mix up some pancake batter. She didn't feel rested, but then she hadn't felt well-rested in a while. There didn't seem to be anything she could do about it, so she didn't bother complaining.  
"Usagi, would you please help me with the pancakes? I have to wake Mamoru, Ami, and Makoto. I would like to have these finished before your father gets back from patrol."  
Usagi nodded and went to the stove as her mother washed her hands and, walked out drying her hands in her apron. Usagi found herself staring at the frying batter in a sleepy daze. Because of her befuddled state, her brother's voice scared her half to death when he broke the early morning quiet.  
"You have been having trouble sleeping, Usagi."  
She turned her tired blue eyes to watch him. He was sitting at the table again, drinking his tea and watching her with his much too old eyes. Usagi opened her mouth to reply but found herself hard-pressed to formulate an answer that didn't sound either annoyed or whiny. She turned back to the pan, only to fumble in her hurry to flip the pancake before it charred.  
"You do not have to feel guilty about this one's decision, Usagi. I do not regret my choice, even though I did not understand it at the time. I have many memories that I wish I did not, but with those memories, I can draw strength that I could otherwise not."  
Usagi's grip tightened on the spatula until her knuckles turned white. She could feel the tension building in her shoulders until it started to hurt, while a wave of completely unexpected anger welled up in her. Usagi tried to breathe through the anger, tried to calm down and think rationally.  
"You shouldn't have to. You're my baby brother, you shouldn't have to have nightmares, or risk your life trying to fight off the forces of darkness. You're only ten."  
She flexed her jaw, aware that she had been gritting her teeth, while she removed one pancake from the pan and started another.  
"And you are only fourteen, Usagi. It is likely that these memories would have surfaced sometime during my life, just as the memories of your former self surfaced spontaneously. This one would rather fight with you than sit at home wondering if you are going to come home or not. I am sure that our parents feel much the same."  
Usagi felt resentful at his calm and reasonable tone. Shingo had been a hot-headed little brat, and she was somewhat surprised that she missed that aspect of her brother. Usagi sighed.  
"About that, I think we need to patrol more. Mamoru and I have been sensing dark energy more often. There seems to be a lot near my school, but Mamoru says that he senses it near the other schools he passes and at the university. I think they might be focusing on young people this time, I mean there was Umino, then Chess-Guy, and now Makoto."  
She jiggled the pan, wondering if she could try to flip the pancake without dropping it. She decided against trying. Usagi was all too aware of her tendency to be clumsy, and she just wasn't in the mood to try to scrape pancake batter from the floor. Usagi frowned petulantly at the cooking batter.  
"It could have been the teacher that was the target this time, Usagi. We can't be sure without questioning Kino when she awakes."  
Usagi nodded in agreement. She hadn't thought about any connections between the attacks, she had just been trying to move the subject away from her feelings. Usagi knew that her guilt was somewhat irrational.  
Usagi smiled in greeting when a still sleepy Mamoru stumbled in followed by Ami and Ikuko, whom she gratefully turned the pan over to, happy that she had managed the task set before her without screwing up. She smiled at the gathered group, before moving to join them at the table. Usagi sank into her chair beside Ami. The bluenette was staring at her empty glass, not yet alert.  
Usagi decided that a return to her chirpy and somewhat loud self was to try to energise her sleepy compatriots. If she had to be awake, everybody else had better be awake. She ignored the mental image of a tiny evil-Usagi crowing near her shoulder.  
"Good Morning, Everyone! The sun is shining and it's going to be a beautiful day."  
It was also kind of funny to see both Ami and Mamoru jump a bit at her loud exclamation. Mamoru glared at her while Ami seemed to realise that she was at the table. Ikuko seemed to share Usagi's bright mood wholeheartedly. Usagi ignored the grumpy boy.  
"So, is there anything we need to discuss this morning?"  
The assembled team was prevented from responding by the shrill beeping of their wrist communicators. Usagi was rather discouraged. Her father was out patrolling alone; against the rules, he had put down himself. Usagi flipped her communicator open, everyone else following her lead, only to see her father shake his head at her from the tiny screen. He seemed to be crouching on a rooftop somewhere, the rising sun colouring the sky behind him a stunning orange.  
"...I have spotted a suspicious entity at the entrance to Nerima Ward. It seems to be a panda fighting a couple of teenagers. There doesn't seem to be any demonic energy, but the panda seems to be quite a skilled fighter. Mercury, try to scan the area from the base."  
The bluenette had her computer out well before the request. Usagi watched in awe as fleet fingers danced over the small keyboard so fast that Usagi wondered how the computer could keep up.  
"The distance doesn't seem to be a problem. I am getting readings of strong, semi-voluntary, transformation magic. I am not picking up any negative intent, in fact, the readings seem to show light irritation, possibly some form of training. My recommendation is that you leave them be."  
Kenji nodded on the small screen, before disconnecting with a wave. Usagi let her relief wash over her, only then realising how tense she had become. Ami tapped away at the computer, looking more and more concerned. Usagi noticed her looking towards the living room. Shingo seemed to notice as well, though Mamoru seemed to be snoring into his coffee.  
"Is something wrong, Ami?"  
Ami met Shingo's eyes across the table, before sending yet another worried look between her computer and the living room.  
"I just hadn't realised the extent of Makoto's energy depletion. My computer seems to be configured to take regular readings from us and compare them against a predefined 'normal' for us. I've entered all of us under the term Junior Beta-Guard, except Usagi whom I have entered as Senior Alpha-Guard and Mamoru as Prince Royal. I am approaching the norm for our stations, as are you, Shingo. Ikuko is slightly above that norm. Usagi and Mamoru are at approximately the same level, that of a Senior Beta-Guard, and rising. However, Makoto is barely registering. If we had arrived any later yesterday, I think she may have died."  
Usagi placed a comforting hand on Ami's shoulder. It was obvious that the girl cared greatly for her friend. She was about to offer some kind words but was interrupted by a loud crash from the living room.

A few days later found Usagi patrolling the city, her brother just a few feet behind her as she sped through the dark streets of pre-dawn Anzabu Juuban.  
Makoto had woken briefly, crashing off the sofa and into the coffee table in a stupor, but had succumbed to sleep once again due to her low energy reserves. Ami was worried sick, often not leaving the brunette's side for hours at a time. Ikuko had called their school to inform them of the brunette's incapacitation. That had necessitated a rather hurried adoption, as Makoto didn't have any official guardians, and the school needed the word of a guardian about the girls’ whereabouts. Mamoru had also been staying in the house, sharing a room with Shingo as they had moved Makoto into the guest room, leaving the large house somewhat crowded.  
"Anything to report, Moon?"  
Usagi paused on the ledge of a large office building, scanning the horizon for any disturbances. She glanced at Shingo to see if he had noticed anything. He shook his head with a small smile. Usagi wondered how he managed to almost disappear in the shadows when she knew that his bright kimono and hakama ought to stand out like a sore thumb.  
"Nothing to report, Tsukiyomi. It's pretty quiet out here, just the early morning crowd on their way to work."  
"Good, take a quick sweep of the park area and swing around the local shrine, then come home. Tsukiyomi out."  
Usagi nodded in acceptance, closing her communicator and jumping on to the next building, feeling quite grumpy at the early hour and the lack of much breakfast. She was mentally grumbling to herself by the time they reached the park area, amusing her serene brother, who ran silently at her side.  
"Moon, I am sure you would have had time to eat a proper breakfast if you had gotten up when Marishi called us."  
Usagi was in the midst of glaring at her brother when it happened. A bolt of dark energy lanced through the under-brush, only missing Shingo by a hair as he flung himself to the side.  
The siblings fell into defensive stands, back to back, as the scanned the area for the unseen attacker. The under-brush rustled in the early morning breeze, setting the two on edge.  
Without warning, another bolt of energy rushed at them. Usagi, having noticed the bolt first, pushed Shingo away as she jumped to the side, the bolt missing both of them by a hair.  
"I can't sense anything, Helios."  
Usagi tried, she really did, but the whole area felt as tranquil as a summer meadow to her extra senses. Shingo nodded in understanding, searching the area for any movement. A quick glance was all the warning Usagi got before her brother rushed toward the under-brush, his bokken held at the ready. He moved too fast for Usagi to do anything but watch, surprised at this sudden move. She noticed that her senses weren't picking up Shingo's energy signature either, a blank spot in her senses that she should have picked up before now.  
The under-brush that her brother had disappeared into didn't as much as rustle. The entire area was peaceful, an insidious feeling that seemed to creep its way into Usagi's mind as she stood there until she found that she had dropped out of her defensive stance.  
~/That's right, there is nothing to fear. Relax, dear girl. Aren't you being silly? Standing around in a park, afraid of attack? Who would attack a little girl like you? There is nothing to fear. Relax. /~  
Usagi turned, trying to find the origin of the voice, feeling sluggish and confused.  
'Why am I afraid? Am I being childish?'  
She reached out again, feeling her senses tingle in the nothingness, searching for Shingo's distinctive dual presence while feeling sillier by the minute. It became harder and harder to focus, the urge to just go sit on a nearby bench and relax becoming overpowering.  
The swoosh of someone falling through the foliage seemed unreasonably loud in the calm, a dark form falling to the ground close to Usagi, followed by Shingo bursting through the bushes. For a brief moment, Usagi couldn't make heads or tails of the sight.  
"Moon, Snap out of it!"  
Her eyes snapped to her brothers, the violet confusing her for a moment before her mind snapped back to the present. She fell into the defensive stance her father had taught her and drew her knives, eyes now glued to the dark form on the ground that was now stirring. The creature looked like some demented cosplayer dressed as a water lily, dark green with large and unwieldy looking petals in shocking pink.  
She hurried to the creature, hoping to get it before it could regroup, only to get knocked down by an unnoticed vine to the gut. Usagi clutched her stomach, pain radiating from the area. Shingo had moved in on the thing, slapping it down with a quick blow to its knees. Usagi took the opening, stabbing the creature in what passed for its chest and watching it dissolve before slumping to the ground in pain.  
"Moon, are you alright?"  
Usagi shook her head, clutching the area that had been hit and fighting down an intense feeling of nausea. Shingo flipped open his communicator, calling in their Father who had been on standby in case they needed backup, before helping Usagi to the nearby bench. Kenji arrived within minutes and hurried over to check Usagi for injuries, none of the group noticing the dark shape that observed them.  
"Well, it seems the creature managed to bruise your ribs, Moon. Report, Helios."  
Shingo nodded, scanning the area while he spoke, reporting the altercation.  
"Hm, it sounds like it was using a form of Genjutsu, which means more training. Come on, I'll help you home, Moon, then we will discuss the additional training over second breakfast."

Usagi winced as she gingerly lowered herself into her seat, drawing concerned glances from Naru and Umino. They had become increasingly concerned about her health these last few weeks. She smiled at them, bringing out her English books and for once feeling almost prepared for the lesson. Mamoru had started tutoring her in the subject in between training, and with Ami at the house almost constantly there was no shortage of help.  
The school day passed quietly for Usagi. There were some concerned questions at lunch, but she reassured everyone that she had just had a tumble down the stairs that morning in her rush to get to school. Naru had accepted the excuse, though Umino had looked somewhat pensive. Physical Education had been just short of torture, as the painkillers her mom had given her had stopped working about halfway through class.  
All in all, Usagi was quite grateful to be wearing her tight and supportive Obi when she made her way to The Crown Arcade that afternoon to meet with her friends, Mamoru at her side. She rather thought he had been sent to keep an eye on her by her mother but wasn't about to tell him that. Ami had stayed behind to study, though Usagi thought the bluenette stayed behind to keep an eye on Makoto, who had finally woken up.  
"Hey, Usagi! Mamoru!"  
Usagi smiled in answer to Naru's loud greeting, glad that she had introduced Mamoru to Naru and Umino. She found it kind of funny how Naru would be as familiar in address with Mamoru as she was with Umino, and how uncomfortable it made the older boy. Umino was rather wary of the older boy, feeling somewhat protective of Usagi, but unwilling to annoy her by questioning her pretend-fiancé. The fact that it made Mamoru even more uncomfortable to pretend to be engaged to her made it all the more amusing.  
"Hey, guys! Have you ordered yet?"  
She slid into the booth, mindful of her outfit and reached for the menu, skimming the much love document.  
"No, not yet, Usagi. We only just got here, because geek-wad here absolutely had to spend almost an hour in the library, playing around on his computer."  
Umino looked indignant, yet replied in the same respectful tone he had adopted when speaking to the two girls.  
"I was not playing around, Naru. I was working on the Sailor Warrior website, a tribute to the group of Mystical Magical Warriors that have been keeping Tokyo safe!"  
Usagi didn't hide her amused grin, though she noticed that Mamoru tried his best to hide his as he waved over Motoki to take their order.  
"Sailor Warriors, eh? Who's that?"  
The look of outrage on Umino's face was hilarious.  
"Have you been completely out of touch, Usagi? The Sailor Warriors are a group of people, or beings, who have stated fighting the Dark Hordes that encroach on our peaceful city! Surely you haven't been so caught up in your handsome fiancé Mamoru that you missed this!"  
The crash of a dropped tray caught the table's attention and brought their attention to Motoki, who was standing just behind Mamoru with a look of shock on his face. His eyes focused on Mamoru uncomprehendingly.  
"F- fiancé?"  
The blond boy looked at the group before turning and walking away without taking their order. Mamoru placed a reassuring hand on Usagi's arm before getting up and hurrying after his friend.  
The group watched as Mamoru caught up to the retreating blond, grabbing his arm and talking urgently to him. The two argued for a moment, Motoki's expression turning angrier by the second before he ended the argument by punching Mamoru on the nose, sending the brunet stumbling to the floor, and stalking out of the Arcade.

Usagi found herself standing in front of an elaborate seal on what appeared to be a doorway. She was wearing her uniform, and there were several faceless soldiers surrounding her in matching uniforms. Her body moved without conscious thought, her hand reaching out to touch a rune of the right side of the door, pumping energy through her fingers to activate it.   
As soon as her hand touched it, the rune glowed gold with power, the light spreading to the intricate patterns that covered the seal. The glow increased until it filled her vision, where it seemed to pulse for a minute before reducing to fill only the lines that covered the door.   
She walked forward, pushing the door open as she went as if such glowing doors were an everyday convenience that did not bear thinking about. Her warriors followed her into the War Room.  
"Emergency Plan Gamma Beta Twelve, people..."  
The scene changed.   
Usagi was running up a rampart in a long flowing dress. Her eyes were focused intently on the nearby silvery tower, and on the glowing blue form that was circling it. It was imperative that she get there before someone saw him and alerted the attacking hordes, leading them to the escape routes and the emergency armoury.   
She ran and climbed as fast as she could, stumbling often in the long dress, ripping and staining it.   
Usagi reached the tower faster than she expected, her arms already reaching up for the circling HAWK-unit. The blue birdlike construct immediately swooped down and landed on her arm, tilting its head as it awaited new orders.   
"HAWK-32, Override code: ALPHA-OMEGA-XI-4, enter stealth mode. Alert the other HAWK-units. The palace is under attack. Gather the other HAWKs and lead snipe-raids to distract the attackers while we evacuate. Do as much damage as possible. Activate."  
The blue light of the HAWK-unit stuttered and died before the unit took flight and disappeared in the dark sky to carry out its orders. 

Usagi sat up, startled awake, certain she had heard some sound. The dream she had just had evaporated before she could grasp its contents. She rubbed her eyes while she listened for anything abnormal. She almost snorted to herself.  
The household sounds had changed just as radically as the house's inhabitants. She had never heard the sound of meditation bells in her home before, nor the sound of her brother and her friends sparring in their small garden.  
The house seemed quiet tonight. She could hear the sound of someone shifting in their bed, and her father's light snoring. She lay there trying to listen for anything until she fell asleep.  
That morning Makoto had regained enough energy to walk around the house. Ikuko had her take a bath almost as soon as she was sure the brunette was strong enough to do so and had even bought a cute new outfit for her new daughter. Usagi though the way that her parents were picking up strays a bit creepy, especially given her father's suspicious nature, but kept the thought to herself. She didn't want to seem jealous of their attention, even if she was. If nothing else, she didn't want to disturb the odd peace that had settled over the house after they had discovered their common interest in fighting evil.  
Usagi chose the chair next to Makoto at the breakfast table. The brunette seemed almost lost in the flurry of activity since she had awoken.  
"Are you okay, Makoto?"  
Makoto smiled at her, shifting a bit in her new summer dress and folding her hands in her lap.  
"Yeah, I'm okay, Usagi. It's just a lot to take in, you know? I've lived in foster homes before, but no one ever wanted to adopt me, and now your parents just adopt me without having met me? I'm not sure how to feel about that, and on top of that, there's this whole 'mystical warrior' thing. Are you sure that I am...?"  
Usagi tried to smile reassuringly. As time passed, the 'mystical warrior thing' seemed more and more normal to her. She was starting to have trouble remembering how her family had functioned before it had happened. Now they trained together, spoke of tactics and battle-plans over supper and patrolled together.  
"Yeah, I'm sure you are one of us. Luna can help me prove it if you want?"  
Makoto nodded, so Usagi called the feline adviser over and explained that Makoto would like her transformation brooch.  
"Very well, Makoto. I've created two new standard styles that the uniform comes in. There is the traditional silver millennium alpha-guard outfit, that Usagi-dono has extended the use of to the rest of the guard due to her dislike of the beta-guard uniform.  
The other option is one I have based on the outfits of Ikuko, Kenji, and Shingo. It is a Kimono/Hakama mix that has been modified with some traits of Kenji's Shinobi gear, tightening the body of the outfit and adding various equipment pouches and scabbards. As you are the scout of Jupiter, with the code name Juno, your outfit will be accented with dark green and dusty rose, the traditional colours of your planet. You have but to choose which outfit you wish to make use of, or simply which outfit you wish to use normally, as I am keeping the others in backup."  
Usagi had tuned out long before the cat had stopped talking, and was munching on her toast, much to Luna's annoyance. Makoto followed her lead, chewing on a piece of fruit and smiling at Ami when the bluenette joined them at the table.  
Ami sat down somewhat gingerly, still sore from the rather unforgiving training sessions that Kenji had been putting her through ever since her blunder at the battle with the monster armour.  
"What do you think, Ami?"  
Ami looked up from filling her plate, looking back and forth between the three in confusion. Usagi still found it hilarious that Ami was such a slow riser. She did wonder how the bluenette got away with staying at the Tsukino house on such a regular basis, knowing that Ami lived with her mother.  
"What do I think about what, Makoto?"  
Makoto filled Ami in with a fond grin and then joined Usagi in greeting Mamoru and Shingo, both of whom stumbled in from their morning patrol. The boys returned the greeting before retreating to the den to report to Kenji.  
"Well, I chose the alpha-guard version, but I think you should choose the one you are most comfortable in." Makoto nodded.  
Ikuko wandered in, dressed in her Priest garb and started checking her purse. "Well, I hope you are ready, girls. The bus leaves in ten minutes and I would prefer to get on it than to walk all the way to the shrine we are visiting. We are meeting your Aunt Nodoka there, so please try to look somewhat presentable, or I'll never hear the end of it." The girls looked at each other and hurried off to get ready in a mild panic.  
"We have an Aunt Nodoka, Usagi?"


	12. Chapter 12

The air around the Hikawa shrine was almost magically fresh, filling Usagi with contentment. The area was beautiful and it was almost enough that she was willing to forget the gruelling climb up the hundreds of stairs that they had to climb to get there.  
Her mom and aunt were off talking to the local priest, a little old man that had been leering at the group since they arrived. Usagi found the little man creepy, though she couldn't sense any evil from him.  
Ami and Makoto had gone to look at the charms the shrine sold to visitors, Ami probably scanning them with the Mercury computer. The thought made Usagi giggle somewhat. The Mercurial was curious about everything.  
Usagi wandered around, just enjoying the aura of the place. Life had become so complicated lately, so the respite was quite welcome. She was so spellbound in the atmosphere that the Miko and ofuda came as a complete surprise.  
The first thing Usagi saw when she woke up was the face of the little creepy priest. The next thing she saw, and the only thing stopping her from clocking the priest, were the concerned faces of Ami and Makoto, both of whom were leaning over her.  
"Oh, are you okay, Usagi?"  
Usagi nodded and slowly sat up. She then rubbed her sore head while her eyes searched out her mother. Ikuko was sitting a few feet away, looking annoyed at a raven-haired Miko who was prostrating herself and apologising.  
"That is enough, Hino. I understand that you must have been surprised to note such strange energies on the grounds of your shrine, but in the future, I hope that you will take it up with your grandfather instead of attacking blindly. You had no way of knowing what you were attacking, and only my daughter's inattention kept you from harm."  
Ikuko gestured towards the girls, wearing a somewhat proud smile.  
"My daughters follow in mine and my husband's footsteps and are demon hunters. It is only natural that their energy is strange compared to the normal people of Tokyo. Be more careful next time." Hino looked somewhere between humiliated and rebellious, though she hid that behind a more gracious mask.  
"Yes, of course, Miss Tsukino. I apologise again. I will be more careful in the future."  
The little priest turned his attention to Ikuko with a shrewd smile. "Oh, so you are the new group of hunters in the area, then?" Ikuko smiled enigmatically and nodded her head. "We are affiliated with that group, yes. We came here in hope of finding a steady supply of ofuda, as I am a bit busy to be creating them myself."  
"Tsukino, you said your name was. I understand the Tsukino family has a shrine over in Chiba-ken. Why not go there?" Ikuko stiffened and Usagi thought she sensed a rising disquiet in the usually so cheerful woman. "Chiba-ken is far away, and my sister is too busy to meet our needs." Ikuko and the priest held eye contact for several moments before the priest nodded in acquiescence.  
"You may come here for your ofuda, and for further training, Mrs Ikuko. Bring your children when it is time to teach them more of the spiritual side of the business. They can train with Rei."

Usagi was still annoyed that afternoon as she sat down with Ami and Makoto to finish up their weekend homework. Ami had started catching Makoto up on the work she had missed while unconscious earlier while Usagi had been off with Aunt Nodoka for a cooking lesson.  
"It's not that bad, Usagi, is it?"  
Usagi met Ami's clear blue eyes with a confused hum. She had been off in her thoughts, mentally lambasting a certain raven-haired Miko.  
"The bridal training? It isn't that bad?"  
She raked her hand through her bangs with an embarrassed giggle. "Oh, no, it isn't, Ami. I was still thinking about that big-headed Miko from this morning. Bridal training was fine."  
Makoto looked up from her math-problems, spitting out the eraser that she had chewed off the end of her pencil. The brunette had grown more comfortable as the day had passed and almost seemed at home in the Tsukino home.  
"Do you think that Mr Tsukino will arrange a marriage for me too? I mean if it is a family tradition and all..."  
Usagi cringed at the reminder of the excuse they had used. She hadn't yet thought to bring her friends in on the secret, much to her chagrin. Come to think of it, they hadn't even been filled in on the family history involving demon hunting. They had just been going along with what was happening without questioning, trusting Usagi.  
"Um, well you see, there are some things I haven't told you..."  
Her friends expressed quite a bit of surprise when they learnt that Usagi and Mamoru weren't engaged and a lot of sympathy when they learnt of her family’s past. Makoto also expressed some relief when she learnt of Kenji's origins, explaining that her father had been a foreigner and that she sometimes felt less Japanese than her friends, even though she had been born and raised in Japan. Usagi also thought she sensed a bit of disappointment. Both girls were shocked to learn what her grandfather had attempted to do, and equally so to find out what Kenji did for a day job.  
"Mr Tsukino is a ninja? Really?"  
Usagi smiled at Makoto, wondering if the implications of her father's job had sunk in and the girl was trying to distract herself, or if Makoto had some romantic notion of the title ninja. Ami seemed somewhat concerned but said nothing. She decided that Kenji could take care of it if there was any fallout from romantic notions.  
"Yes, though it's not all that glamorous and dad doesn't talk about it that much. Also, you've been adopted into the family; you don't have to call mom and dad, Mr and Mrs Tsukino. You don't have to call them mom and dad if you don't want to, but you could call them Ikuko and Kenji, I think."  
The brunette seemed to think this over, and then nodded with a smile.  
"Um, Makoto, I don't know how these things are usually handled with adopted kids, but if you want Dad to arrange a match for you, then I am sure that he would."  
Makoto blushed and looked down at her hands. Usagi thought she saw an expression of sadness out of the corner of her eye, but when she looked Ami showed only sympathy.  
"N- no, Usagi, it's not that I want to get married... It's just that your bridal training seems like so much fun, and I guess I'm a bit jealous. I love kimono and cooking, and sewing, and tea ceremony."  
Usagi blinked in confusion. How could anyone love prancing around in a tight and hot outfit? She had become somewhat comfortable in her kimono, but she would prefer one of her sundresses or a pair of jeans. Even her school uniform was preferable. Beyond that, Makoto had always seemed more of a jock than anything else. Usagi mentally scolded herself for making assumptions about people.  
"I'll talk to Aunt Nodoka tomorrow about including you. I'm sure she won't mind; in fact, I think she would be happy to teach more than just me. She's been kind of lonely since her husband and son left on a training trip ten years ago. How about you, Ami?"  
Ami looked up from where she had been checking Makoto's answers, looking almost uncomfortable.  
"I don't know if my mother would agree to that. I'll have to talk to her when she gets home tomorrow."

A few days later found the three of them following Nodoka down the street towards Nerima to visit some old friends of Nodoka's husband. The three of them were all decked out in colourful kimono, and Makoto had her hair up in a style reminiscent of the one that Nodoka had given Usagi. Ami seemed the most uncomfortable in the bright blue and russet kimono, though Usagi thought she was carrying it well.  
"Saotome, is it appropriate for me to come along?"  
Nodoka nodded encouragingly, striding ahead of them.  
"Yes, Ami, and please call me Auntie or Aunt Nodoka. The Tendo girls will be delighted to meet you, I am sure. The youngest, Akane, actually looks quite a bit like you, now that I think of it. I am sure she could use a friend, and I understand that she has been having some trouble making friends at school."  
Usagi smiled at her friends, feeling nervous herself. She loved making new friends, but since learning of this trip, an odd foreboding had taken root. Something weird was going to happen, she just knew it. Still, she followed along, crossing her fingers and hoping for the best.  
The Tendo home was quite large by Japanese standards, having both a large yard and a dojo in addition to the two-story home. The girls stood somewhat nervously behind Nodoka as the older woman knocked, all of them feeling out of place for differing reasons.  
A young woman, somewhat older than them, opened the door. She introduced herself as Kasumi and seemed like a nice person. She led them into a nice den, explaining that her sisters had gone out and would be back soon, a prediction that proved true as they had barely drunk any of the offered tea before the front door crashed open and a pair of teenage girls stomped in.  
"...And I'm telling you, Akane, that I had nothing to do with it!"  
The redhead looked rather irritated, her body language screaming offence at whatever it was that the bluenette had accused her of. Neither of them seemed to have noticed the group at the table.  
"I don't care, Ranma! You are a pervert and nothing you can say will convince me otherwise. I saw you all over Ukyo at lunch today!"  
The bluenette, who did look quite a lot like Ami, seemed to almost glow in indignation, a thick vein throbbing on her forehead.  
"Damn it, Akane! She kissed me, which you would know if you weren't so damn jealous all the time!"  
Usagi glanced at her companions, wondering what was going on. Makoto and Ami seemed just as confused as she was. Kasumi was obliviously drinking her tea as if this was an everyday argument. Aunt Nodoka, however, was staring at the redhead with a look of suspicion.  
"Ranma?"  
The girls jumped, almost instantly turning a deathly pale that worried Usagi slightly. The redhead seemed to freeze completely as if panic had taken her mobility. The bluenette, Akane, gained control of her faculties rather quickly.  
"A-aunty Saotome! What are you doing here?"  
Aunt Nodoka straightened, her face growing hard and her hands clutching at the ever-present katana.  
"Do not try to change the subject, Akane. I've met your 'cousin' Ranko many times, and every time it was when I came looking for my son, who had just left on a training trip. The fact is that both of your parents were only children. I've asked a friend at the local government office about your so-called cousin and there are no records of her at all. I assumed that your family had taken in the young lady and needed a cover, yet this odd coincidence of timing, the number of times I have heard her referred to by my son's name... Something is going on, and I demand that you tell me at once. I am his mother; I have a right to know!"  
Akane stood silently, obviously at a loss. The redhead, on the other hand, had sunk to the floor and was clutching her knees to her chest, her face hidden. Usagi sat traded an awkward glance with Makoto, both of the feeling that they were intruding on something personal.  
Ami had whipped out the mercury computer and her visor and seemed to be scanning everyone in the room. Usagi wondered how she could get to the computer without transforming, then realised that this was hardly the first time the bluenette had done so.  
"Aunt Nodoka, I believe I have the answer to that."  
The bluenette became the centre of attention, though she was oblivious to that fact.  
"Ranma exhibits large quantities of the same permanent semi-voluntary transformation magic that Kenji encountered when he was last patrolling this area. It is possible that this is indeed your son. In fact, according to my scans, you share the genetic markers that would indicate that she is your daughter."  
Nodoka fixed her gaze on the redhead that had been revealed as her son. Usagi found the whole experience somewhat weird, but not overly so. It ranked up there with Shingo's past life but didn't quite reach the heights of her psychopathic grandfather. After a few moments of tense silence, Nodoka stood and slowly walked to the redhead who was now rocking back and forth. The elder redhead lowered down next to her child and enveloped her in a tentative hug.  
"Ranma, I don't claim to understand how hard dealing with keeping this magic secret has been, nor do I understand why you never told me. Surely your father has taught you the legends of our family, as the marriage contract between us stipulated. Sex-changing magic is rather... odd, yes, but the family has dealt with such things before. All I want for you is to be happy, and if being a girl makes you happy then I can accept that."  
Ranma was still and for a moment before she broke down in back shaking sobs in her mother's arms. For several minutes the rest of the room watched as the two redheads had a rather private moment before the sobs dried out and a muffled voice was heard.  
"I'm a boy, damn it. It's a curse."  
The whole story came pouring out of the petite redhead, aided by helpful comments from Kasumi and Akane. Usagi rather thought that Akane seemed rather bitter about the whole thing, but then she could almost understand that. She didn't understand why Akane seemed to blame Ranma for the ordeal.  
The rest of the visit was a bit awkward for the girls as Nodoka fussed over her son-turned-daughter, much to Ranma's embarrassment and Akane's ire.  
The Tendo girls were nice enough, Kasumi especially, and they tried their best to make conversation without disturbing the Saotomes.  
Ami was fascinated by the curse and its consequences, and Makoto was delighted to find that both Akane and Ranma were martial artists. Usagi chatted with Kasumi about all manner of things, mostly about food.

Several days later found Usagi wandering down to the Crown Arcade for a milkshake. She had just finished her tea-ceremony class and was quite ready to relax for a while. She had asked Naru and Umino to join her there, feeling that she had been neglecting them a bit, and she was looking forward to just hanging out with her friends for a while.  
The doors swished open in front of her. Usagi was met with the pleasant waft of cool air and the smell of chocolate and strawberry that marked her favourite arcade. She smiled as she saw Motoki wiping down the counter before she went to sit in a favourite window booth. Usagi found herself taking in the surrounding area with a rather rueful sigh, wondering when she had lost the ability to just ignore everything but her little world.  
"Usagi!"  
She turned with a smile to greet Naru, the ever cheerful redhead. Umino was struggling with an armful of bags just steps behind her. Naru was still milking Umino's guilt for all it was worth, though Usagi thought Naru must have forgiven the boy by now.  
"Hi, Naru, Gurio. Have you been out shopping?"  
Naru returned her smile as she sat down, a bit of mischief glinting in her eyes. Umino collapsed into the booth, heaving for breath and looking almost half dead.  
"Oh yes, Usagi. There was this great sale just a few shops away from Osa-p, and then I ran into some of our classmates from last year, you remember Yuki and Amaya, and they knew about this other great sale, though it was in a Lolli-goth shop and I thought it wouldn't be as fun, but they had the most amazing dresses in there! I didn't get any, of course, I don't think I could pull it off, but I did get these super cute little black pumps and a cute little purse."  
Usagi nodded and let the flood of words flow over her. It had been quite a while since she had last gossipped about clothes and sales, and she felt a little out of practice. She managed to add a few insights to the conversation, but she was dismayed to realise that she hadn't been shopping since the start of her new responsibilities.  
"May I have your order, please?"  
Usagi startled, though she tried to hide it. She had been so caught up in the conversation that she hadn't noticed Motoki arrive. She glanced through her menu, unnecessarily as she chose what she always did, a chocolate milkshake. Motoki stood patiently while the trio decided on what they wanted, though Usagi thought he seemed somewhat sad.  
"Are you okay, Motoki?"  
He smiled at her, and this time Usagi was sure that she saw some sadness in his eyes.  
"I'm fine, Usagi. It's nothing you need to worry about."  
Usagi was surprised to feel a pang when he addressed her so formally. She did not notice that she had changed the way that she addressed him. Neither did she notice the intrigued looks the two of them where getting from Naru and Umino. A quick formal smile flashed across her face, hiding the hurt and surprise. Motoki looked away from her face, before returning the smile, and turning to her friends to take their order, leaving a trio of confused teens.

By the time Usagi made it home, she was feeling down over the strange change in her relationship with Motoki. She threw her purse on the kitchen table and sat in a chair, feeling sorry for herself over the whole ordeal. As such she hardly even acknowledged it when Mamoru entered the kitchen, nor when he sat across from her with an indulgent expression on his face.  
"Is something wrong, Moon?"  
She glared at him, annoyed and dismayed that he insisted on calling her that. Usagi huffed and lowered her head to rest on her arms on the tabletop.  
"Motoki was weird. He called me Usagi and he was sad. Do you have to call me Moon? That's not who I am."  
Mamoru looked a bit uncomfortable at the mention of Motoki but recovered. He smiled supportively and placed a warm hand on one of hers.  
"Yes, it is, Usagi. Moon and Usagi aren't two different people, they are two names that happen to be yours. Motoki, well, I'm sure that he's still just upset with me and unsure of how he should treat you. I'll try to talk to him, fix whatever it is so he goes back to normal, alright?"  
Usagi smiled despite herself. It was good to have a friend like Mamoru. Sometimes she kind of thought that this was what it would be like to have an older brother.  
"Thanks, Mamoru. I appreciate it."  
Mamoru smiled, looking relieved, before straightening in his chair and pointing at her school bag, left by the door earlier that day.  
"Well then, Usagi, I believe we have some homework to do."  
She glared at him again, her previous annoyance back in spades.  
"I thought Ami was helping me and Makoto?"  
"Makoto and I. Ami and Makoto did their homework earlier. They've gone over to the Tendo residence with Nodoka. Ami is hoping that she might be able to find a cure for Ranma's curse, and Makoto wanted to train with Akane."  
Usagi groaned and heaved herself out of the chair to get her bag.

Later that week found Usagi and Makoto following Kenji towards Makoto's old apartment. Makoto revealed that she hadn't been there since she had taken up permanent residence in the Tsukino home, and she rather missed her things, so Kenji and Usagi had offered to go with her to get them.  
It was a nice apartment building, in a good part of town. Makoto had lived there for only a year since she had left her last foster home, yet she confided in Usagi that she would miss it a bit. Usagi could sort of understand that. The people of the neighbourhood seemed nice enough, and several elderly ladies greeted Makoto with a small nod.  
The apartment itself was small, no more than just a room with a small bathroom and kitchenette. Makoto had decorated the walls with several well-drawn pictures. There was a small desk and a bookcase full of books on cooking and flower pressing beside a small closet, between which rested a rolled-up futon. Several knickknacks were placed tastefully around the room. Kenji dragged in the two suitcases that they had brought and placed them near the closet for the girls to pack.  
"Right girls, just pack up the clothes and knickknacks, the movers will get the rest for us. I'll go speak with the landlord."  
Kenji left as soon as the girls nodded their acceptance, leaving them to work. Usagi felt a bit awkward about going through Makoto's clothes, but the brunette didn't seem to mind at all. They worked in comfortable silence for a while. Makoto had gathered all her bits and bobs and had wrapped them in shirts, in some cases socks, before placing them in one of the suitcases. She watched Usagi for a few minutes before speaking.  
"Usagi, I was wondering...you said something about Tranquility Protocols when you were explaining everything, and I was thinking of asking Luna if I could have that done. I think it would help with my training. I feel kind of like I'm behind because of all the time I was unconscious..."  
She trailed off uncomfortably. Usagi paused while folding a skirt, resting her hands on her knees. Thinking of the protocols always left her feeling sad and somewhat scared. They had been part of the reason that Shingo had changed so drastically, even if they weren't the direct cause. Intellectually she knew that Luna hadn't used Tranquility on Shingo, instead using some other mind magic, but she couldn't shake the worry.  
"I don't know, Mako. If you want to, you can, I guess. I think you are doing great without them, and dad doesn't like the idea, he thinks of it as cheating, but I don't think he would get mad. Maybe you should talk it through with him?"   
Makoto nodded decisively and then smiled at Usagi.  
"Thanks, Usagi. You're right, I should talk to Kenji."

They managed to get home in time for supper. Usagi noted that Ami was once again seated at her place at the crowded Tsukino table. They had converted the guest room in the attic for Makoto's use, leaving an extra futon so Ami could sleep there when she stayed over. Personally, Usagi hadn't minded sharing her room, but then the attic room was bigger and had a better view. She was almost jealous.  
Usagi was pretty sure that Mamoru still had an apartment somewhere; he just seemed to stay with them so often that he had his bed moved into the small room he shared with Shingo, which was also somewhat bigger than Usagi's room.  
'Funny how I never noticed that before now.'  
Shingo seemed to enjoy having an older boy to talk to, though Usagi had trouble deciding which of the boys acted eldest. She was pretty sure she had heard Mamoru asking Shingo for help with his history class, which she found a bit strange. Still, the two spent a lot of time together meditating and training swordplay.  
They were all somewhat tired, and Makoto was a bit sad, so Ikuko decided to treat them all to ice-cream at the Crown for dessert. The family made their way to the arcade in a small procession, Usagi leading the happy group.  
They managed to squeeze into Usagi's usual booth and spent a while debating what they should order. Usagi noted that it didn't seem like Motoki was working that night.  
'Of course, he isn't, he can't be at work all the time.'  
"Next time, I think I'll just order in instead of this! Children, make up your minds!"  
Usagi turned back to her menu at her father's words. She decided to try something new, and ordered a chocolate double banana split and a passion fruit smoothie, smiling at her father when he commented on her rather self-indulgent choices. She had only managed to get through about half of the huge banana split when she felt the disturbance nearby.  
She turned to look towards the nearby park, noticing that she wasn't the only one reacting. Turning back to her companions she noted that Ami was already scanning the area, while Kenji and Ikuko were debating.  
"There seems to be a group of three strong energy signatures in the park. The likelihood of them all being enemies is high."  
"This is the same park where Moon was injured last time. It is possible that this is a similar enemy, so be on guard. Juno, you aren't ready yet, Earth and Helios will stay here with you. Mercury, Marishi, Moon, you are with me."  
Usagi noticed that all three looked to her for confirmation, which she gave with a nod. The four of them exited the arcade and went to the alleyway to change. She didn't even have time to wonder where her parents kept their uniforms before they were rushing towards the park.  
The park seemed almost serene when they arrived. The dark energy they all felt was completely at odds with the starry skies and the calm breeze that rustled the leaves of the trees.  
"The energy signatures are straight ahead. Two of them seem weaker than the third, which is also farther from us. I believe that the Third is the leader."  
It felt wrong to stand ready for battle on such a beautiful night. The park was quiet, giving Usagi the willies. The dark energy just seemed to vanish. She moved forward, towards the area where she and Shingo had fought the previous monster.  
Nothing.  
Usagi turned back to the group, Tsukiyomi and Marishi standing protectively by Mercury while she scanned the area.  
"Where are they? I don't sense anything at all."  
Naturally, she *did* feel the energy bolt that caught her in the back.

Usagi didn't regain consciousness until well after the battle was over. Her whole body was aching terribly, though she found her mind clear. She groaned in pain as she tried to sit up, though she managed. Usagi found herself sitting in her bed, the curtains on her window drawn and the door closed. The room was dark.  
"It hurts, doesn't it?"  
A thrill of fear swept through Usagi as she turned to the source of the voice. A figure stood in a dark corner of her room, completely shrouded in shadows.  
"You weren't strong enough. The battle hadn't even started, and down you went."  
The figure moved forward. Usagi's voice froze in her throat, the words dying before she had even a chance of uttering them. Some of the figures became visible, short loose golden hair, cropped in an attractive boyish style. Dark blue eyes just visible, but filled with an almost unnatural calm, looked at her from beneath a pale gold crescent moon.  
"I don't understand why this happened, Moon. You are me, yet you aren't living up to me. We do not have time for this childishness, Usagi."  
Her double took another step forward, her uniform becoming visible. She wore it differently than Usagi did, wore it with a conviction that Usagi had never felt about anything. Usagi felt small and quite grubby, like a child again.  
"You aren't stupid. You aren't unfit. You are working to overcome your innate laziness. In some ways, you are the better of us. You feel true compassion for all things. You are quick to believe the best of everyone."  
The other blond seemed to scan Usagi with rather critical regard.  
"Except us, of course; you have no confidence. You hide your insecurity behind a foolish mask, working towards a goal that you do not believe yourself capable of reaching."  
She took another step forward, close enough to touch.  
"It is not that you do not let them see who you are underneath, rather that you refuse to see it at all. You are young, and as such, you are immature. It is only natural, yet we do not have the time to overcome it."  
A gloved hand reached out, stroked her cheek. A sudden rush of shame caused Usagi to pull back, her eyes falling from those blue pools to the floor.  
The figure stepped back. Sadness seemed to seep into her.  
"There it is again. You need to wake up, Moon. Plan for failure, but don't expect it. Be Stronger than you are now. Wake up, Usagi."  
The figure smiled somewhat mischievously.  
"Also, please tell Earth-princess that he had it wrong. It is 'me and Makoto.'"  
Usagi blinked, and she was not sitting in the dark room anymore. She was lying prone on a patch of grass, a few feet from the park path. Mercury was leaning over her, the bluenette shaking her shoulder and calling her name. Tsukiyomi and Marishi were standing guard by them, looking to the wooded area some feet away.  
Relief flooded Mercury's face as Usagi groaned and rose to her feet. Mercury spared her a small relieved smile, though Usagi noted that she still seemed tense. The reason became clear quite soon. A flash of energy was the only warning Marishi got before an attack necessitated an agile dodge, allowing the energy to gouge the ground behind where she had been standing.  
"Right, now if you ladies are done with your break, can we get back to this? Don't think I'm not aware that this is twice in a row, Moon."  
Usagi nodded and readied her weapons, hiding a winced at the reminder. There were sure to be some painful training sessions to follow if her father had his way. A hand on her shoulder had her meeting Mercury's concerned eyes.  
"Are you alright, Moon? I tried to reverse all the damage from the attack, but I couldn't be sure what it was supposed to do..."  
The blond tried to reassure Mercury with a glance and a smile, but the smile felt stiff and forced. The details of her... dream were fading. She had a vague memory of a dark room and a strange conversation, but the details were gone. Her back and shoulders were sore, but she could move and she could fight. Her team needed her.  
"I'm fine, Mercury. Can you use your computer to find whatever it is again?"  
The bluenette smiled at her, relieved, before nodding and reaching for her visor. Usagi started scanning the area, trying to stand guard for her partner while she worked.  
"I can try, Moon. Tsukiyomi has already dispatched the leader, which was the one that attacked you, but the weaker ones are proving very difficult to pin down."  
They spent several tense moments dodging attacks, the three Tsukinos blocking the attacks with their weapons if they came too close to Mercury. Marishi seemed to lose patience with the battle, reaching into her husband's hip-pouch and grabbing some shuriken. Not bothering to explain, the priestess charged the throwing blades to bright pink, standing still and closing her eyes, before bursting into motion and whipping the little glowing stars into the bushes with surprising accuracy.  
Two flashes of light later had the priestess grinning at her husband, while Mercury confirmed the kills.  
"See, Tsuki? I can throw stars too, and I have a demon-radar built-in. Beat that."  
Usagi groaned to herself, trading a somewhat embarrassed look with Mercury. Her parents had started to engage in a rather childish oneupmanship when it came to their skills. Her father had started it with an ill-thought-out comment on the lack of practicality inherent in the holy powers of Shinto Priests.  
Kenji drew himself up in what Usagi hoped was faked indignation.  
"Oh, you can throw them alright Mari, but hitting anything smaller than the side of a barn is pure luck or use of magic!"  
Usagi shook her head in exasperation, de transforming before signalling Ami to follow her back to the Crown. The elder Tsukinos followed the two, still bickering good-natured.  
Usagi thought it was kind of cute how her parents flirted like teenagers. They seemed so much happier now than she could remember them being.

Usagi leafed through one of her mother's fashion magazines, stopping to look at a picture of a woman with a short pixie-ish haircut. For a moment she thought it looked rather familiar, but the moment passed. Still, it was cute, and for a moment she considered getting her hair cut. She discarded the idea at once. Her hair might at times be annoying, but she loved it the way it was.  
Makoto was stretched out on the couch, watching some soap-opera or another. Usagi had given up trying to keep up with the plot, and really, she preferred manga. It was so much easier to keep up with confusing love-triangles when you could just check back a few pages now and then.  
"Usagi?"  
"Mm?"  
She held the magazine at an angle, trying to discern if the shirt the model was wearing closed at the side like she thought it did. 'It would probably suit Ami's build better than mine, but then again...'  
"You said that you don't like Mamoru, you know, like *that*... He's really cute, so why not?"  
Usagi's brain stuttered to a stop and then replayed the last sentence again. She glanced at the brunette, who had sat up and was hugging a pillow, in confusion, while trying to think up an appropriate answer.  
"I don't know, it'd be weird. He's...I guess I see him as a friend. A brother almost, like you and Ami are my sisters. Yeah, he's cute, I guess, and if I didn't know him as well as I do, I would probably have a crush on him, but now...it'd just be weird, you know?"  
From the look of it, Makoto didn't, but then Usagi wasn't sure *she* did. She sighed and laid the magazine on the table; unable to concentrate on the fashion she had been trying to reacquaint herself with.  
"It would be weird, Mako. Anyway, I have a crush on Motoki, and wouldn't it be wrong to have a crush on his friend too?"  
There wasn't much certainty in her voice as Usagi spoke. She hadn't thought of Mamoru like that at all, and now it felt like trying to think of Shingo romantically. It was disgusting.  
The brunette shrugged her shoulders, drawing the pillow closer to her body. "I don't know, Usagi, I guess you're right."  
Further discussion was interrupted as Luna came wandering into the living room, walking on two legs, muttering to herself and somehow drawing on a pad. Usagi decided it was best not to think too much about how the feline was managing all that without opposable thumbs.  
"...not that's not quite right either, the scabbard wouldn't have the proper support...Hm, maybe if I do this instead, I can get better mobility, but would that work against the protective value..."  
The black feline was so absorbed in whatever she was doing that she managed to walk straight into one of the lounge chairs. Neither of the girls managed to pass up laughing at the sprawled mess of feline, who shot quite the lethal looks at both of them.  
"Oh, yes, certainly. Laugh as much as you want while I do my best to work on equipping you with the best Armor I can design. I will have you know that I apprenticed under one of Mau's greatest Armor smiths during my youth. If I hadn't been chosen to work in the diplomatic core, I could have been..."  
The feline paused, her eyes focusing inward for a brief moment while she picked up her art supplies. A strange fleeting look of horror and grief flashed across the feline features before Luna continued her voice quiet as if talking to herself.  
"I could have been dead, I suppose. Mau was one of the first planets to fall. By now, I certainly would have died..."  
Usagi traded a guilty look with the brunette on the couch. Neither Makoto nor she had meant to bring up bad memories. Luna seemed to shake whatever memory had taken root, turning to the girls with sharp eyes.  
"None of that, girls. You suffered and died during the silver millennium. I survived, so don't you dare pity me. My life was that of an adviser, you were warriors. If anything, you lost more than I did. I was already an orphan in that life."  
The cat turned and walked out of the room, still in a humanoid fashion, leaving the girls full of confusing thoughts and feelings.  
"Usagi? Do you think Luna ever wished that we... you know, that we were the same people that we used to be?"  
Blue eyes met green, and she found that she didn't have an answer.

The world was an odd place when you thought about it. Usagi walked homeward after yet another day of school, pondering the strange lack of magic in her history books. Sure, many myths were mentioned as amusing trivia, but given the sheer amount of magic she encountered every single day, Usagi was quite baffled at the lack of it in the public eye.  
It was Saturday, a half-day, which left Usagi at something of a loss. Saturday was their designated rest day, so there was no reason to hurry home.  
Ami had grabbed Makoto and made off to the library, still trying hard to get the tall brunette up to speed. Naru was helping her mother at the store, while Umino was tutoring several young students in mathematics. The only person Usagi didn't think had other plans was Mamoru, which was why she was going home instead of just going to the Crown.  
Usagi winced at the thought. It was still awkward when the group went there. Whatever had provoked her crush to violence had left Motoki either acting guiltily around her or avoiding her. Her once favoured pastime of 'Motoki-watching' had become all but impossible. She had half a mind to grab Mamoru by the ear and drag him down to patch things up with Motoki.  
Usagi kicked a pebble, actually considering the thought for a moment. She was strong enough to pull it off, her father's training having been helped along by whatever magic made her Moon. Mamoru would get some kind of revenge, which Usagi was eager to avoid. That man could be conniving.  
The blond sighed to herself, leaning against a nearby railing in thought. Sometimes life was just so darn complicated.  
"Err...Usagi, right?"  
The familiar voice rather startled her and caused her to nearly topple over as she twirled to face the speaker.  
"Ranma!"  
A familiar redheaded girl stood a couple of steps away, looking at her uncertainly. Usagi smiled and gestured for her cousin to join her. It was still a bit weird for Usagi that such a feminine young woman was a young man, but she shrugged it off. She figured it wasn't that different from learning to think of Luna as a real person, rather than a talking cat. It had taken her a few days, but she had managed.  
Ranma smiled and joined Usagi, still with a rather uncertain look about her.  
"So...is something' the matter, Usagi? You looked a million miles away just now, an' I figure that I'd check on you..."  
There was just something adorable in the way that her cousin mumbled and looked embarrassed to be showing concern. She was just so cute, with her fluffy red hair and fantastic figure. Usagi almost squee'd, but figured that her male cousin wouldn't appreciate it much.  
"Nah, it's nothing, Ranma. I was just on my way home to see if Mamoru and Shingo want to hang out since it's a half-day. I don't have anything to do today, so I wasn't hurrying, and we're probably just going to end up training. That isn't all that fun because Mamoru and Shingo gang up on me with bokken, and I just have these tiny daggers that I can't even use because they're sharp and stuff..."  
Usagi trailed off at the rather glazed look the redhead was wearing at her babbling. She had seemed to perk up at the mention of training but then had spaced out around the mention of bokken. After a moment of semi-awkward silence, Ranma seemed to realise that Usagi was waiting for her to say something.  
"Eh, oh? Do you do kenjutsu? I figured Tai-chi would suit you better,"  
Ranma would have continued if it weren't for the tall brunet charging them with a cry of; "Saotome Ranma! Prepare to DIE!"


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Seven

Usagi didn't have time to think. 

The attack happened so fast that all she could do was react, following instincts hammered into her by past months of training and staying on guard in case of magical attacks. That strange sixth sense of hers told her that the individual attacking her, and her delicate looking cousin, was infused with some sort of unnatural magic. 

She was in her uniform and bringing up her knives for a vicious slash without a second thought. Usagi managed to get the creature to ground in only a few moves, its arms bleeding from blocking her knives. Her subconscious whispering possible weaknesses to her, Usagi went in for a finishing blow. 

"Wait, Usagi!"

Only the sheer shock of seeing her cousin rush in front her strike allowed her to stop its momentum. The attacker, who lay staring at Ranma with a strange expression, seemed just as shocked as Usagi.

"Ranma, it was attacking us!"

The redhead seemed genuinely worried for the attacker, looking back and forth between the creature and Usagi, and assessing both for injuries. With a start, Usagi realised that it was just a boy. A boy not any older than Ranma, who seemed quite shocked at her defence of her cousin. Usagi's senses were still tingling with magic, both from herself and the two in front of her. It took her a moment to realise that the sense of the boy was similar to that of her cousin, and only seconds for that information to click.

"It's just my friend Ryoga, Usagi. He's harmless, I swear!"

Surprise faded into embarrassment, and concealed horror, at what she had almost done. She reached down and grabbed Ryoga's hand, hauling him to his feet, letting the magic of her transformation fade away until she was just Usagi again.

"So, do you want to get some ice-cream with Ranma and me? I was just about to invite Ranma down to the Crown, and really, the least I can do is to treat you too..."

Usagi babbled the entire way to the arcade in her mortification, not letting either boy get a word in edgewise until they were seated at the counter, and only then because she couldn't eat her Double-Choco-Latte-Banana-Strawberry-Split and talk at the same time.

"So..."  
The recent recipient of her internally christened Crescent Slash started. He seemed more confused than anything else, and he kept shooting suspicious looks at her cousin.

"You're Ranma's cousin?"

Usagi nodded, her mouth too full to answer. Ranma nodded as well, looking longingly at Usagi's ice cream before speaking.

"Yeah, our mothers are sisters. I only found out about them a couple of weeks ago, when Mom found out about my curse."

There was an odd tension between the two that Usagi couldn't figure out. Ranma kept shooting almost wistful looks at Ryoga, who responded with suspicion and anger. If this was one of her Manga, she would think that they were a couple on the outs. She watched the two discuss Ranma's curse, and his mother's reaction to it, seemingly forgetting her presence. Inspiration pinged, and Usagi decided that the situation was pretty clear. Ranma must have a crush on Ryoga, who couldn't get over the fact that Ranma was a man half the time. Ryoga must have rejected her dear cousin, and... 

Her communicator beeped, ripping her out of her dissection of the two boys' relationship. She cursed internally, gulping down the last of her ice-cream.

They were looking at her strangely now, probably due to the continued beeping of her wristwatch.   
"Moon, we need you at..." Usagi slapped the communicator to silence it, and then rifled through her wallet, pulling out enough notes to cover their meal.

"Um, sorry guys, I guess I forgot that I have an appointment with my dentist. I'll see you later!"

She was well out the door before either could respond, ducking into a nearby alley, transforming and jumping to the roof of the nearest building. 

"Moon here..."

"Your cousin is the Moon Soldier?"

Ranma sighed into his milkshake, his red hair hiding his eyes. Ryoga thought this was a plan to humiliate him or some sort of plan to get to Akane. It always got to him that his only friend thought so little of him. The brunet might not have been his first friend, but he had been his best, or at least that was how Ranma had seen it. Friends were rare in his life. Still, he had hoped that Ryoga would have overlooked that bit.

The current red-head nodded, fiddling with his straw.

"Yeah, it turns out that my mother's side of the family has been demon hunters since forever. She wasn't even all that surprised about the curse. I'm helping Usagi with her hand to hand for a bit. She just started hunting with the family, so...." 

It was an embarrassed sort of shrug, a strange gesture for the confident youth that made his friend uncomfortable. The silence stretched uneasily, as both boys finished their ice-cream, Ryoga glancing distrustfully at his rival. "You told her that I'm stupid, didn't you? That's why she said she had a dentist appointment, isn't it?"  
Ranma smirked.

It seemed that the sacred fire had infected the sky, low burning orange filling the sky in the early dawn. Hino Rei stood on the stairs to the main shrine, huddling in her bathrobe against the cold. The dreams had started vaguely; wisps of colour or flashed of unfamiliar scenes. Tonight it had been different. The strength of the dream had woken her into instant awareness. Even now the images, the feelings, were as real and solid in her memory as if they had happened.

The dream started peacefully. She was standing on a hill overlooking red and purple fields, a gentle breeze flowing through the crops, causing waves to roll and crest. There was a feeling of deep and abiding familiarity. Her eyes moved between landmarks. There was the eastern boundary of the settlement; there was the ruin that had once been a guard post; there was the place she had first learnt to ride, and the place she had knocked a tooth loose from a fall. 

Rhia knows this place to the depths of her soul. Her family has been here for almost a thousand years. They had claimed this plot of land and founded the hamlet that had grown into a thriving farming community over the centuries. She loves it here, has always loved it here.   
The caw of a nearby bird breaks her trance, and Rhia turns toward her home. 

The light of Phobos caresses the roof of the barn, its twin has long since gone beneath the horizon. She hurries down, knowing her father has already started tending to the animals, and cursing her own tendency towards introspection. 

Rhia hates to disappoint her father. He will not be angry; it would take something a great deal worse than tardiness to rouse his gentle old soul. In fact, she rather doubts he will do anything at all, except maybe throw a few teasing remarks in her direction. Still, it hurts her pride that she had allowed herself to forget time.

The door to the barn slams open with too much force, bouncing back and almost hitting her square in the face. A soft chuckle confirms that her father is already at work, milking the great beasts that graze their fields. 

"In a bit of a hurry there, Pet? Try not to pull down the barn while the animals are still inside."

She hurries over to the other milking station, calling the beasts into position with promises of treats. 

"Sorry, Dad, I was just..."

"Greeting the sun, yes, I know, Pet. Sometimes you are so like your mother I wonder if you inherited anything at all from me, besides my rugged good looks."

An amused snort escapes her. She knows that she is his spitting image, the same as both her brothers. None of them had inherited their mother's tanned skin or the bright golden locks that proclaimed her Venusian descent. Their pale skin and dark hair was typical of their planet, and the source of endless teasing between their parents. 

"Where is mom, anyway? I didn't see her this morning."

Her father sighs, a common sound when asked about his wife. Rhia worries a bit when he doesn't answer right away.

"She was called away late last night. There is some kind of labour dispute that only she can solve, apparently."

The silence is a bit more strained now. Her mother is a local politician and deeply involved in the unionisation of local dairy farmers. Rhia knows her father is supportive of her mother's passions and accepting of the times it takes his wife from his side. Still, she often thinks that it must be hard on her father. Rhia keeps a small kernel of resentment deep inside that her mother isn't more considerate towards her father. 

"Oh."

They don't speak again until they are done with their morning chores. Rhia dutifully follows her father into the house. She hurries to her bathroom and gets ready for her day, before heading down to join her family at the breakfast table. 

Keidan, her eldest brother, is hunched over a packet of official-looking papers, munching at a piece of toasted bread. He is in the process of joining the local branch of the Millennium Navy. He's been tense and nervous for days now. 

Her plate is set in front of her, covered in more food than she thinks she can eat. Rhodan, her other brother, has been trying to fatten her up, insisting that she needs much more meat on her bones. He is a paramedic at the local hospital, and the most cheerful person Rhia has ever met. Even this early in the morning, he flutters around and whistles joyful little ditties. She thinks that it should be illegal to flutter when you look so much like a brick wall. Rhodan is easily the brawniest person in the area and is almost half again as tall as their father.

He is also smitten with the daughter of their next-door neighbour, a Chian by the name of Meirelle. Rhia is convinced that Mei is the reason her brother decided to go into health care, following the young woman into medical school as he had followed her everywhere else. 

She can't help but ask why he hasn't asked her to the next harvest ball. Rhodan, who usually babbles about the Chian at least a few minutes each day, looks at her with utter horror.   
"Are you crazy? I can't do that, I haven't proven myself to her at all, let alone to her father. She'd never agree..." 

Keidan raises his head from his papers to look at their brother in amazement and then begins to laugh. The laughter spreads until Rhia has a hard time keeping a straight face. 

That is how Rei woke up, laughing quietly. It scares the semi-orphan how much she misses the world that this dream has shown her.

'I have a dentist’s appointment?! That's the best I could do?' Moon had been mentally berating herself since her hasty exit. 'Selene's Right Boot! I'm an idiot, I only just transformed, and de transformed in front of them both! Dad is going to kill me!'   
The blond heroine kicked a soda can as she paused on a fire-escape to catch her breath. Her father was already uneasy about the security of their aliases. He was going to flip at this new breach. Moon huffed for a moment before a movement in the corner of her eye had her on full alert. She was left staring at a confused kitten on the other side of a large window. A warm blush spread through her body as the small feline flicked its tail in a way reminiscent of Luna at her most annoyed. An impatient beep from her communicator had Moon jump in fright.  
"Moon, where the hell are you?!"  
The battle was almost over by the time Moon made it to the location. Tsukiyomi had what appeared to be a giant tennis-ball, which was somehow also a woman, pinned in a corner, while Mercury stood guard over a couple of young brunettes. Usagi did a double-take when she realised that one of the brunettes was her best friend. Naru was still conscious and watching the fight with great interest.   
'What is it about Naru that attracts this kind of trouble to her?'  
"Moon, would you like to take this one out, or do you want to switch with Mercury?" Tsukiyomi asked her with a smile, tripping the tennis-youma when it tried to make a break for it. Mercury shot her a pleading look, wanting a chance to prove herself after the fiasco that was her first fight. Tsukiyomi had been putting her through her paces, feeling that he had failed the young woman in his training of her. Moon nodded to the bluenette and took her place standing guard over the civilians as Mercury charged the over-sized tennis-ball.   
"Will Ami be alright, Usagi?"   
Moon blinked, feeling her breath catch in her dry throat. Naru was watching her with wide worried eyes, not fooled at all by the SEP-field that Luna swore was activated when she suited up. The brunette seemed to find some humour in the dumbfounded expression Moon wore, smiling through her worry.   
"Usagi?"  
Usagi blinked again, feeling her Moon persona slip away at the whispered words. She looked over at the fight, which was well under control, then nodded to her friend. "Yeah, Mercury has it under control, Naru. If it gets out of control, Tsukiyomi will help her out." Usagi paused, wondering why the two hadn't just taken care of the youma before she had arrived, and hoping that her father wasn't listening in on their conversation. "You should use our code-names, just in case someone is around, Naru. Tsukiyomi is particular about this kind of thing. He is going to kill me if he thinks I've put the team in danger by telling you..." The earlier events of the day came back to her, making her wince. "Um, actually, could you come by the house later? I need to tell dad about you, and cousin Ranma, and his boyfriend Ryoga, knowing about us. Oh, Kami, is he ever going to kill me..."  
A sudden bounce of the tennis-youma had Usagi slashing at it with her knives, sending the creature back to the panting, and grinning bluenette. Sometimes the battle-lust her quiet friend exhibited crept Usagi out just a little. A quiet, quite nervous, giggle brought her attention back to her kneeling friend. "Alright, Moon."   
Usagi knelt down next to Naru, checking on the other brunette. The girl looked remarkably like her friend. "Will my cousin be alright, Moon?" Usagi, Moon, ran a tendril of her eldritch energy over the unconscious brunette, checking her for injury. The girl had suffered a rather substantial energy-drain but seemed otherwise uninjured. She smiled at Naru as she explained that her cousin would be fine with a bit of rest.  
"What happened, Moon? That monster tried to steal her energy? Is...is it a demon, Usagi?" Naru seemed to be somewhere between horrified and outraged at the thought. Usagi couldn't help but smile at the brunette's attitude. Sadly, the smile was whipped off her face at the next words out of Naru's mouth.  
"It was that man that summoned it, wasn't it, Moon, that weird red-headed one that was watching the training? He gave me goose-bumps; he was so creepy."  
A bad feeling settled in the pit of Usagi's stomach. 'Of course, there's someone who summoned it, like Jadeite summoned the others.'  
"What man, Naru?"   
Naru went on to describe a tall man with a red mane of hair and cold eyes that sent tingles down the brunette’s spine. He had been leaning on a red sports car for several minutes before the training match had started, then disappeared only moments before the youma had arrived. Usagi nodded, trusting both her gut feeling, and Naru's judgement that he was somehow involved, and so resolved to bring him up to her father once the fight was over.   
The thought managed to cross her mind before a flash of light and the sound of falling sand heralded the end of the fight. Tsukiyomi patted Mercury's back with a smile and a few words of praise as the two made their way to the prone civilians. Naru seemed puzzled for a moment, before smiling at the two.  
"Thank you very much for saving us, Tsuki-" Usagi coughed pointedly. "Tsukiyomi, Mercury." 

The kitchen was awash in the warm orange glow of the late afternoon sun. Luna sat in her designated work area, a small alcove of the kitchen counter right next to the refrigerator, sketching whimsical designs on her art block. The house was rather quiet, only the sound of clashing steel breaking the stillness, muffled by a few well-placed paper wards to keep the neighbours from noticing. A somewhat smug smile graced the feline features, her paw moving the Kohl with a surety and grace across the paper that only thousands of hours of practice brought with it. A design seemed to materialise as if by magic, each line added compelling the artists will onto paper. It took her hardly any time to realise her thoughts, a shield here, and an exaggerated pauldron there bringing the design into balance with a satisfying flourish of her Kohl. The feline was so absorbed in her work that she failed to notice the entrance of the resident Shinto priestess and her apprentice into the kitchen.   
"May I ask on what you are working, Luna-dono?"   
Shingo did not hide his angelic smile as Luna startled violently. Luna looked mournfully at the dark smudge that ran right through the otherwise pristine design, before transferring her gaze to the young preteen, putting as much venom into the resulting glare as she could. "You did that on purpose, you little brat." She hissed, for once seeming more animal than an anthropomorphic feline adviser, her fur bottle-brushing in agitation. The smile did not diminish at all; in fact, the young redhead seemed to exude innocence in a way that could not be explained by the laws of physics.  
Ikuko wiped down the dinner table, a small smile on her lips. "Now, Shingo, please don't tease Luna. It isn't nice to ruin her hard work by startling her like that."   
The angelic look transferred to his mother. The warm light from the window ignited his short hair into a radiant halo, intensifying the effect.   
"I assure you, I did not intend to frighten Luna-dono. I was simply curious as to her work."   
Ikuko turned to the sink to rinse the cloth while hiding a smile. "Really, Shingo, you shouldn't try to deceive your mother like that. I watched you grow up; I can see right through you."  
"Ah, you raised Tsukino Shingo, yes, but not Himura Kenshin," Luna muttered, trying in vain to save her design. "Perhaps he was a better liar than your son used to be." Shingo whipped his head around to glare at the cat, an insulted expression gracing his usually placid face.  
"This one always took care to speak the truth as he knew it. He may have been a hittokiri, but he was an Honourable hittokiri. This one took his responsibility to himself and his family very seriously." Luna threw an unimpressed look over the edge of her art pad. Ikuko stepped in, sensing that trouble was brewing, and placed a calming hand on Shingo's kimono-clad shoulder. "You've never told me about your family, Shingo. Perhaps you could tell me some stories while helping me with dinner?"   
"I do not do this for my own enjoyment, you know. I am working on several conceptual designs for full battle Armor for our group, and because of you, I have to start over on my latest design, which might otherwise have been put into production soon, to protect you, you brat." Luna hissed at the contrite boy, ignoring Ikuko's attempt at reconciliation. "I am the only armourer available capable of creating SEP-field enhanced Armor and it is my responsibility to outfit this group as well as I can. It is not a responsibility I bear lightly. You would do well to take your own training more seriously, Shingo, because you clearly have too much time on your hands."  
A dark look passed across the young boy's face, completely at odds with his usual demeanour. "I assure you that I take my training very seriously, Luna-dono, and that I hold you, and the work you do, in the utmost respect. I am well aware of the responsibility that we all bear, to keep the innocents around us safe from the darkness, but that does not mean that we must do so in solemn silence, nor that we should abandon the small and plentiful joys of life."   
The young boy spoke gravely, full of the conviction. For a moment it seemed to Luna that he was a full-grown man, rather than a mischievous preteen. She rallied her courage, a bit ashamed of her outburst but unwilling to concede.   
"The last time I did not take my responsibilities seriously, an empire fell, so excuse me if I am unwilling to lie about and smell the catnip! Everyone around me died; everyone! I was an apprentice armourer, yet instead of helping at the forge during the war, I was uselessly running around as an aide to a senator. I will not go through that again, Shingo, I cannot, not ever." She huffed, ignoring the looks of sympathy that filled the faces of her audience.   
A warm hand came to rest on her shoulder. "We understand, Luna. We've lost loved ones too, if not in such a dramatic fashion as you have. You are not alone in your grief."

His mind had at first been at peace. He had slept deeply, dreamlessly. His long service to Beryl had stolen every shred of energy from him, yet the gease he had been under had forced his continued service. This peaceful rest didn't last.  
Slowly the world lightened around him. He seemed almost awake, at least to his own mind, almost conscious, but still, not quite.   
He was floating, his mind hovering in the darkness filled with luminescent fog. For a long time, this was all he was conscious of, the fog curling around him, illuminating a small sphere in the endless darkness. It shifted around him, curling and flowing in an unfelt breeze. He smiled to himself, amused at the image his mind must have thought up to fill his endless sleep. He wondered where the image had come from. Surely his own mind hadn't come up with something so pedestrian; surely it was something he had seen before, somewhere.   
An image flashed in front of his eyes so fast that he would have stumbled in shock, had he been standing. He looked around, scanning the empty space around him for anything that might have caused the disturbance. Another image flashed, and he struggled to keep his metaphorical feet. Again, it happened. This time he could almost make out what it held.   
Slowly he started to comprehend the images. Sensations curled out from the next ones, sounds soon joined in, until he felt each one as if he had been transported with each flash of life.  
A theme was emerging.   
A young man, dark-haired, regal in his Armor. Training hard to appease him, to protect him. Engaging in political talks at his side, working to overcome the schemes of those who would hurt his lord, going over tactics and strategies of war.   
His Lord. Endymion. 

There was no doubt about it. Tsukino Kenji, former Jounin of Konohagakure no Sato, was pissed off. Usagi could see the thunderclouds hovering over her father's head as he paced back and forth in front of his only daughter.   
"So, let me get this, let me be certain I have understood this correctly, Usagi." He stopped in front of her, his face cold and calm. Usagi thought it might be the most terrible thing she had ever seen.  
"Not only does your friend, Osaka Naru, know about our secret identities, without you telling her, but you've also revealed your own identity to your cousin Ranma's boyfriend. Now, tell me this, Usagi, are you out of your ever-loving mind? Have all my lectures on discretion and secrecy been completely lost on you?"  
Usagi swallowed back a retort, knowing full well that talking back to her father when he was like this was the worst possible option. She sighed to herself, starting to get a bit annoyed with the whole situation. Really, it wasn't like she had deliberately told her best friend anything, and the situation with Ryoga was hardly her fault. She had thought they were in danger. It wasn't like she could just fail to react to a direct attack.  
"Are you even listening to me, Usagi?" She looked up at her father in consternation. He stood before her with a disappointed expression on his face.  
"But Daddy! It wasn't my fault, really. I swear I didn't tell Naru anything at all, she just figured it out on her own! And I couldn't just not react when I thought Ranma and I were being attacked, could I? What would you have done?" Usagi tried her best to seem reasonable, and keep the whine out of her voice that wanted out, though she suspected that she failed. Kenji didn't seem reassured.  
"I would have used a smoke bomb, or caused a distraction, or retreated to a discreet location to power up. Anything other than reveal my identity to someone with no motivation to keep my secrets. Do you simply not understand that you have endangered us all by revealing yourself? Even if he doesn't figure the rest of our identities out, he could attempt to get to you by targeting us. Do you really want to be responsible for the injury or death of your family? Of Ami's?"  
Kenji took a deep breath and let it out slowly.   
"I am speaking to you as your superior, not as your father when I tell you how much you screwed up. Go to your room. You are on restriction for the next two weeks."  
Usagi huffed and stalked off to her room.

Usagi had been pouting at her desk for twenty minutes. She understood where her father was coming from, she really did, and she just wished that he would try to see the incident from her point of view. A deep shill swept through her at the memory of her father's angry words. Usagi was very invested in her family's safety. The thought that she had put them at risk made her nauseous. That was the exact reason that she had needed to act when she had thought her cousin was in danger.  
A quick succession of knocks on her windowsill startled her from her thoughts. She whirled around, almost tipping over her chair in her haste to find the source of the sound. Her brother's face peered at her from the balcony, much to her surprise. "Shingo? What are you doing out there?"  
Shingo gestured for her to join him. She hesitated a bit, listening for any sounds from the stairs. Sneaking out of her room, even just to the balcony, was not something Usagi wanted to get caught at. She heard nothing at all except the quiet mumbling of the television downstairs, so she decided to risk it.   
"Care to join me for a walk this lovely evening, Usagi?" The redhead asked, signalling for her to follow him down to the street.  
Another look into the house gave no reason not to follow her brother. She grabbed a warm shirt and a pair of soft-soled shoes and was out in the blink of an eye. The two blonds made their way, occasionally wall hopping, but mostly sticking to the sidewalks. Shingo didn't say a word to his sister, just walked beside the blond. Usagi enjoyed the silence.


	14. extra

Landscapes of Mars

It seemed that the sacred fire had infected the sky, low burning orange filling the horizon in the early dawn. Hino Rei stood on the stairs to the main shrine, huddling in her bathrobe against the cold. The dreams had started vaguely; wisps of colour, or flashed of unfamiliar scenes. Tonight it had been different. The strength of the dream had startled her into instant awareness. Even now the images, the feelings, were as real and solid in her memory as if she had experienced them days ago.

The dream start peacefully. She is standing on a hill overlooking red and purple fields, a gentle breeze flowing through the crops, causing waves to roll and crest endlessly. There is a feeling of deep and abiding familiarity.   
Her eyes easily move between landmarks. There is the eastern boundary of the settlement; there is the ruin that had once been a guard post; there is the place she first learnt to ride, and the place she has knocked a tooth loose from a fall off her mount. 

Rhia knows this place to the very depths of her soul. Her family has been here for almost a thousand years. They claimed this plot of land and founded the hamlet that has grown into a thriving farming community over the centuries. She loves it here, has always loved it here.   
The caw of a nearby bird breaks her trance, and Rhia turns toward her home. 

The light of Phobos gently caresses the roof of the barn, its twin long since gone beneath the horizon. She hurries down, knowing her father has already started tending to the animals, and cursing her own tendency towards introspection. 

Rhia hates to disappoint her father. He will not be angry; it would take something a great deal worse than tardiness to rouse his gentle old soul. In fact she rather doubts he will do anything at all, except maybe throw a few teasing remarks in her direction. Still, it hurts her pride that she has allowed herself to forget time.

The door to the barn slams open with too much force, bouncing back and almost hitting her square in the face. A soft chuckle confirms that her father is already at work, milking the great beasts that perpetually graze their fields. 

“In a bit of a hurry there, Pet? Try not to pull down the barn while the animals are still inside.” He calls from across the barn.

She hurries over to the second milking station, gently calling the beasts into position with promises of treats. 

“Sorry, Dad, I was just…”

“Greeting the sun, yes, I know, Pet. Sometimes you are so like your mother I wonder if you inherited anything at all from me, besides my rugged good looks.” He replies merrily, his deep voice filled with unseen smiles. 

An amused snort escapes her involuntarily. She knows that she is his spitting image, the same as both her brothers. None of them has inherited their mother’s tanned skin, or the bright golden locks that proclaimed her Venusian descent. Their pale skin and dark hair is absolutely typical of their planet, and the source of endless teasing between their parents. 

“Where is mom, anyway? I didn’t see her this morning.”

Her father fails to suppress a sigh, a common sound when asked about his wife. Rhia worries a bit when he doesn’t answer right away.

“She was called away late last night. There is some kind of labour dispute that only she can solve, apparently.” There is still a smile in his voice, though Rhia imagines it more rueful and fond than happy. 

The silence is a bit more strained now, though it is Rhia that causes the tension. Her mother is a local politician and deeply involved in the unionisation of local dairy farmers. Rhia knows her father is supportive of her mother’s passions and accepting of the times it takes his wife from his side. She often thinks that her mother’s frequent absences must be hard on her father. Rhia keeps a small kernel of resentment deep inside that her mother isn’t more considerate of her husband. 

“Oh.”

They don’t speak again until they are done with their morning chores. Rhia dutifully follows her father into the house. She hurries to her bathroom and gets ready for her day, before heading down to join her family at the breakfast table. 

Keidan, her eldest brother, is hunched over a packet of official looking papers, munching absently at a piece of toasted bread smeared liberally with jam. He is in the process of joining the local branch of the Millennium Navy. He’s been tense and nervous for days now, so she tries to take up as little space as she can at her place beside him.

Her plate is set in front of her, covered in more food than she realistically thinks she can eat. Rhodan, her other brother, has been trying to fatten her up, insisting that she needs much more meat on her bones. He is a paramedic at the local hospital, and the most obnoxiously cheerful person Rhia has ever met. Even this early in the morning, he flutters around and whistles joyful little ditties. She absently thinks that it should be illegal to flutter when you look so much like a brick wall. Rhodan is easily the brawniest person in the area, and is almost half again as tall as their father.

He is also smitten with the daughter of their next door neighbour, a Chian by the name of Meirelle. Rhia is convinced that Mei is the reason her brother decided to go into health care, following the young woman into medical school as he had followed her everywhere else. 

She can’t help but ask why he hasn’t asked her to the next harvest ball. Rhodan, who usually babbles about the Chian at least a few minutes each day, looks at her with utter horror. 

“Are you crazy? I can’t do that, I haven’t proven myself to her at all, let alone to her father. She’d never agree… anyway, I have nothing to wear.” 

Keidan raises his head from his papers to look at their brother in amazement, and then begins to laugh. The laughter spreads quickly, until Rhia has a hard time keeping a straight face. 

This is how Rei wakes up, laughing quietly. It scares the semi-orphan how much she misses the world that this dream has shown her.


	15. extra 2

Tensions Rising

The humidity was high due to the recent rainy season, and the air thick with smoke. A screen over the bar was showing ISN, a game of Long-ball in full swing, the sound muted in the loud chatter of a typical weekend. A group is clustered near the Visio, clutching their tablets and muttering curses at the players.

Rhia runs a soft cloth across a fresh spill of ale, barely resisting rolling her eyes as the drunk apologises yet again for tipping his drink over. It is late, well past the midnight hour, and she is tired. The very thought that she has work in barely seven hours does not improve her mood, yet she can’t begrudge the favour she is doing. 

A loud exclamation draws her attention to the far corner. A game of cards has been going on for most of the night, sometimes to the sound of happy laughter, sometimes to angry arguments. She has been keeping an eye on the players, just in case she needs to break up a fight. Rhia may be relatively small in comparison to the burly farmers that have taken refuge from the winter air in the bar, but she is tough and more than capable of intimidating the patrons. Everyone here knows her temper.

Her best friend, the owner of the tavern, is at the medical centre. His wife had gone into labour just as the evening rush had abated, more than three weeks overdue. Rhia is happy to lend a hand, and quite anxious to hear news of Jon’s wife and child. Still, the very thought of having to go in to work after almost a full night of tending bar does not fill her with joy.

The Visio flickers in the corner of her eye, and the sound abruptly comes on, lancing through the bars sudden hush.

‘Breaking News! The Colony of Monor was attacked late last night by a separatist fleet! The attack was successfully repelled by the colony garrison, but heavy losses are reported.’

Rhia’s breath catches in her throat. Keidan had been stationed on Monor just a month ago, before shipping out on a newly minted cruiser, headed for another part of the outer territories. A few deep breaths brings her back to the task at hand, and she manages to pour a round of drinks for the corner table, handing it off to the waitress with steady hands. 

Worry for her eldest brother steals through Rhia like lightning. She feels so helpless, and useless, standing behind a bar when her brother is out there risking his life. Part of her wonders if he regrets joining the fleet, if he would rather be here, tending bar. If he would trade places with her, living in relative safety while his sister fought for their monarch. 

Maybe Rhodan feels like she does. Maybe he also feels the guilt of staying behind, while their brother is in danger. Rhia pushes the thought from her mind. Meirelle is barely into her third trimester. 

Rhodan spends most of his time desperately preparing for their first child, all the while hiding the all encompassing fear he feels for his wife. Chian physiology is different enough from Martian that the pair needed the help of some of the planets leading scientists to conceive their child. There was every chance that this child would join its unborn siblings in their family tomb, though the doctors are hopeful, since this one had survived for as long as it has. 

Their extended family has drawn close around the couple in their repeated tragedy, helping in every possible way they could, to keep the two in good spirits. Rhia is repeatedly surprised at the closeness that has developed between her own parents and Meirelle’s. The elders of their families have even gotten together and built a home for Rhodan and Meirelle on a plot of land right between those of their parents. 

‘Breaking News! The attack on Monor has been attributed to ...’


	16. extra 3

Joining Up

The building is rather plain, not at all the way Rhia had thought it would be. The facade is the same rose sandstone as the surrounding village, the building only two stories tall and rather old fashioned. The only thing that reveals its purpose is the large banner over the door in the imperial colours, and the two stolid guards that flank the door.

Rhia swallows nervously, trying to tamp down the nausea that has been haunting her all morning, since she left her home in the early hours after arguing with her father. She has to do this. She imagines the face of her beloved older brother, remembering his excitement and adventurous spirit. 

Keidan has been killed in action. Her resolve firms. 

She walks confidently into the recruitment office, signs in with the reception desk, and patiently waits her turn. 

“Name?”  
“Rhiahell Vakarian. I’m here to join the marines.”  
Being Chosen

The gymnasium is full of the smell of sweat and the sounds of combat training. Today it is hand to hand. Yesterday it was zero G. Tomorrow it might be hostile climate training. 

Rhia has been in officer training for almost a year and a half. She is not the best in her class, but is certainly not the worst either. She works hard, and trains harder. Her slight frame often leads her opponents to underestimating her, much to their detriment, and her sharp tongue has given her a reputation as a woman to be reckoned with.

A grizzled drill instructor is barking commands at the recruits. Her body responds without thought, going through the motions it has been drilled in so many times before. She gives it no thought when a master sergeant enters the room, escorting two humanoid Mao in intelligence uniforms. They come through often, though their purpose is unknown. There are many rumours. 

“Recruit Vakarian!” 

Rhia throws down her opponent, a fellow recruit twice her size, and snaps to attention.   
“Master Sergeant!”

The intelligence officers smile slightly. Rhia tries not to take it personally. Her temper has gotten her in trouble before, and she has worked hard to keep in under control. 

“Recruit, you have been chosen for special service, which means that from the moment you leave this gymnasium, you are out of the marines. You will accompany these Agents to your locker, empty it, and report to Persephone Central.”

“Yes, Master Sergeant!”   
Meeting ‘The Boss’

Rhia knows better than to think of the person in front of her as anything other than ‘The Boss’. Still, the first thought in her head is ‘beautiful’. 

Tsuki-No-Usagi is a vision of elegance in gunmetal and black. The blue eyes that meet hers are sharp, a sword at your throat, not quite breaking the skin. 

“Vakarian,” Rhia snaps to attention, her whole body held rigid in a way she has never managed before. There is something about Tsuki-No-Usagi that makes Rhia want to do her best, be her best in every way. 

The blond smiles slightly, her amusement clear. “Relax, Recruit. I don’t bite.”

Rhia holds her posture just the same, feeling every ounce of her superiors gaze as the blond circles her. 

“You are here, Vakarian, to join the elite; The Planetary Scouts, to be precise.” Tsuki-No-Usagi smiles again, a look of challenge on the delicate features. “If you impress me, you may one day even join Protection, as the junior representation of your home planet, Mars. You may even be good enough to be in the running for a governal position, though that is a long time off.” 

The Boss gestures for Rhia to join her at the view-port, gazing down on the red and blue planet below.

“You had better make your goodbyes, Recruit Vakarian. You won’t be seeing Mars again for a very long time.”


End file.
